Son of a Kappa!
by Super Robot Malinarlen
Summary: Gawky Akari looks like a guy compared to all the pretty boys around. Her head is filled with self-preserving water, too, among other peculiarities... But on this island, it seems that EVERYONE has a peculiarity. Fight, Akari! Don't die alone! If a heart is still running, broken ones will surely chase after it. ToT & MFoMT. Akari x all the bachelors.
1. A Girl, a Fish, or a Turtle

She thought she could hear Pascal– the gentleman captain of the boat– barking orders to about a dozen shuffling feet. Were they even still on the boat? The old man sounded so concerned! She hoped they were finally on the island.

Upside down, Akari felt herself being carried. There were so many loud noises breaking through her gaze into pitch black, and her mind rambled on about nonsensical things.

_Ah. Mom was so beautiful! A beauty with long, golden hair and ocean blue eyes. And me?_

There was a beautiful, glowing woman in a chiffon mermaid dress, with cerulean hair and serene eyes– but it wasn't Akari. It wasn't even mother. No one could compare to her mother. Not even she could...

_Because I look like a boy and smell like a kappa. _As Akari thought this, the glowing woman before her opened and closed her mouth, over and over, like a fish. Was she trying to say something or was she gasping for air? Akari couldn't figure this out, so she stared on at the helpless woman. _This is a very peculiar dream_.

Jin, the doctor of the island, glared down at the young woman on the bed before him. She was pallid and not sweating at all– despite her short breaths and warm temperature. It didn't make any sense. Was he dealing with a turtle? "You may wish to look away," he said seriously, shooting a knowing look at Pascal. He said this to him only (and not to the two women in the room). The captain huffed accordingly and looked away as Jin leaned onto the bed and lifted Akari's shirt up– sliding his instrument across her chest and listening intently.

Silence. And then a thump.

After three bloated seconds (in which Jin had panicked), three short beats fired in rapid succession before silencing once again. Akari's heartbeat did this over and over, like a theatrical drum beat.

"What the–" Jin nearly cursed, baffled by what he was hearing. These heart sounds were unrealistic and unlike anything he'd ever heard before. Maybe he really WAS dealing with a turtle.

"Is there something wrong?" one of the women spoke in a hush. She was the inn matron.

Jin took off his stethoscope and pocketed it, gulping slightly. He didn't have any answers, nor did he know what to do in this case. His old despair was seeping back. If he was this unable to save someone once again...

"She's not sweating properly," Jin said suddenly; "I'll need a wash cloth and a basin full of water." Though he had no idea what he was doing, he figured he'd at least tackle the first problem accordingly and work from there. That was what being a doctor was all about.

The two women nodded and rushed from the room to gather what the doctor needed. Swiftly returning moments later, they lugged a wash basin up onto the nearby night stand.

"Hmm, you've still got it, Yolanda," Pascal mumbled slightly, adjusting his white cap at the eldest of the two women. The pig-tailed lady huffed and turned to the inn matron to mutter about something else.

With a deceptively calm hand, Jin took the soaked wash cloth from the basin and spread it over Akari's face– waiting for it to absorb heat. Instead– something absurd happened.

Right before Jin's very eyes, the cloth was sucked entirely dry– dry as a dry sponge– and when he lifted the cloth, he found dark green scales lifting up, like goosebumps, on the girl's face. Scales, like a fish. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't.

"I..." Jin tried to speak, but his voice was being swallowed away. "Could... everyone please leave the room?" He finally managed to speak, after a bit of gulping and meditative breathing.

Concerned further, yet not questioning him, the three observers left the room.

Jin marched to the open doorway and slid the curtains closed. In such a small island inn (as this one was), there were no such things as doors.

_This will be troubling, _Jin thought. Wash basin in hand, he summoned enough strength to pour every ounce of its water onto the girl, splashing and soaking her clothes through. Within seconds, her clothes and the bed were dry. She had magically absorbed it.

"Is she some kind of... water monster?" Jin murmured to himself, watching as Akari's scales lifted briefly before folding back in. At this point, he was more fascinated with her than repulsed. How could any girl live with herself like this? It was ridiculous.

That's when he noticed it.

From a coin-sized hole atop the girl's head, hidden beneath her hair, poured a trickle of liquid. Like a spring, water was leaking out from the top of her head. It didn't make any sense! So Jin tried to make sense of it. "Her brains?" He surmised, quickly compressing it with the wash cloth. Human physiology meant nothing now, so anything was possible.

To prevent further drainage from Akari's head, Jin propped her upright against the headboard. Floundering about in his confusion for several moments, he yanked the doorway's curtains back open, advised the others to leave the girl upright, and left. A trip back through his medical literature was in order.

Was she a girl, a fish, or a turtle?


	2. Head Like a Hole

Mayor Hamilton, having requested to see Akari as soon as she was on her feet, was nothing short of excited. This was entirely unrelated to the fact that he was nothing but short.

Akari stared down at the roundish man, who exuded childish joy with his squeaky voice and doorknob of a nose. Just once, she wanted to reach down and honk it, but she knew that'd be VERY rude.

"You'd have to look long and hard to find a nicer island!" the mayor told Akari, wringing his hands delightedly; "The cozy and peaceful atmosphere is quite nice, isn't it?"

Before she could answer him, he was already bounding onto the next thing that filled his busy agenda.

"Now, Akari!" he said. "Would you like a tour of Waffle Town?"

When she answered him with an eager 'yes', he obliged her by merely pointing out places from where they stood; not once did they move from the inn's doorstep.

"–why don't you go greet your new neighbors?" he finally insisted with a push, sending Akari stumbling off down the brown cobbled street.

To her surprise, she wasn't as paralyzed as she thought she would be. She figured she'd of had to refill head hole by now, but it didn't seem to be empty at all. Had someone refilled it for her? But that idea was just impossible.

_After all,_ Akari thought; _I haven't told anyone that I'm a kappa yet– and I don't plan to!_

Back in the town where Akari had moved away from, everyone speculated about her. They speculated so much, that they made spectacles of themselves, her, and especially her mother. But she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. No one in this place had any reason to speculate about anything. It was spectacular!

At that, she climbed up the nearest massive flight of stairs. Actually, it was the only massive flight of stairs around, but it was climbed, regardless. When she reached the top, she held her breath and was surprised by the entirety of Waffle Square and its fleet of flower beds filled with red happy lamps and yellow moondrop flowers.

She rubbed her eyes, wondering whether the dreamy sight was real or not, and breathing once again, she faced a brick and plaster clock tower in the square's eastern corner. She waited for the hands to move and fall, and though they did not, leaves fell and swiveled down from the nearby trees, crackling like the sound of someone approaching. That's why when a leaf fell behind her, she didn't notice him at all.

Gill, the mayor's son, approached carefully, skeptically eyeing her. _Short brown hair, a lanky build, green shirt– is it a boy or a girl?_ he wondered. From where he stood, it was hard to tell. But whatever IT was, identifying its questionable gender was his priority. However, he couldn't build up enough nerve to go over and investigate, so he just stood where he was and gawked.

He didn't have much else to do that day.

At last, Akari turned around– and after seeing the young blond man– rushed over to speak with him. This was the beginning of her new life– a life in which she could peacefully befriend everyone and start over as a normal girl. A beautiful life in which she could–

"–Knickerbockers_?"_ she blurted, suddenly distracted by the young man's short, dandy pants. Being of a very dark plaid, they contrasted significantly with his pale lower legs. _But they aren't puffed at the cuff,_ Akari thought; _So could they be high-waters? _

She wasn't sure what to call them. But they were certainly some fancy pants.

Gill crossed his arms defensively. "Excuse me?" he sputtered, disturbed by the fact that Akari was staring down at his legs– and so interestedly. By this point, he was certain that Akari was a girl– as she had a high voice and possibly a chest. But no one could ever be certain in this world.

"I–I mean... Good afternoon," Akari stammered, straightening her back yet still staring down at him.

"Hm, I've never seen you before. Who are you?" Gill demanded, uncrossing his arms and glaring disapprovingly at her.

Finally, the girl gazed upwards, but slowly, and in such a shameless way that it made Gill very uncomfortable. Glancing away, he brushed his hair back and nearly choked when he realized how nervous she had made him. Flustered, he glared at her.

"Uhh... Oh! Sorry. My name's Akari," the girl said, wildly flailing her arms as she struggled to explain herself; "I came from a place called Mineral Town. You see... Recently, my mom got very, very sick. There was not much time left for her, so she went and joined my dad in–" She clamped her mouth shut with her hand. She couldn't tell him how her mom went to live in a lake with a Kappa! If she did that, he'd tell someone else, and then eventually the whole town would know. Once again, people would say nasty things about her– like that she smells like kappa, that her skin is slimy, or that her head is full of nothing but water.

Worst of all, Akari would have to move again. _And maybe... I'll never find a place to call home. _This thought, awful and powerful, made tears stream down her stupefied face. Combined with the knowledge that these tears were draining her life-sustaining head hole reservoir, she was VERY upset.

_Did she... lose of a mother, too? _Gill pondered, numbed speechless. Realizing that she was far more upset than he was at the moment, he forgave her for all her prior insolence. "Akari, eh...?" he trailed, rubbing his head apologetically. "Oh, my father told me about you. I'm Gill, I'm the Mayor's one and only son."

Ceasing her tears, Akari jumped back as if she had been burned. _For REAL?_ she wondered, holding her face in awe. _Gill is the son of the mayor? That... stout man? But they look NOTHING alike!  
><em>

Akari then wondered if Gill would one day come to look like his father. It was not uncommon for children to turn into their parents when they age, after all. That would certainly be quite an evolution. She realized in that moment that she HAD to hang around to see that.

Gill cleared his throat, displeased by her reaction and knowing that she wasn't thinking anything good. "Did you come here after seeing the brochure my father designed?" he asked.

"Yes! Nice to meet you!" Akari bowed shortly, spilling water from her head and all over the beautiful stone pavers. Gill blinked, baffled beyond measure.

Akari wanted to cry again, but that would've only made matters worse.


	3. Be Healthy or Else

_Kappas are reptile-like monsters that live in lakes and rivers. They smell like fish and they're excellent swimmers. If the water in one's head runs dry, it'll grow weak. _

_Though Kappas are sometimes dangerous, they're honest and they always return favors. Their favorite foods are cucumber and fish._

Jin somberly held the folklore book and continued to read it. Pushing back his slipping glasses he pondered: _Why would a Kappa come to live here? Are cucumbers even grown in these parts? _Though he had found only two books with basic information on them, he was almost certain that Akari was a kappa; it was the only explanation for the water-filled hole in her head.

_The union between a human and a kappa, _Jin read on; _ though possible, is unfortunate. The offspring is always ugly and horrific. People will be drawn to attack them with axes._

"Well I don't know about that," Jin muttered. Akari didn't appear that bad; maybe she was a bit too handsome for a girl, but she was only truly disturbing when her skin changed. The last part about the axes, however, caught him off guard and made him snicker a bit. He glanced around the library to make sure no one saw. At last, he felt a bit guilty. Perhaps Akari was chased out of her old town? Jin didn't know her very well, so he didn't feel TOO sorry for her, but he wanted to be sympathetic– even if he had enough people to worry about. _That's why__ it's important to keep one's health up... so you're not a burden on others,_ he thought coldly, closing the book with a heavy thump. Up from the first floor below, he heard an uproar, so he shelved the book and hurried down the stairs.

Behind the lobby's front counter stood Gill and Elli, gossiping as they always did, but with even more spite than usual.

"If you don't take it easy, there won't BE any more newcomers," Elli huffed, crossing her arms. "I know your attitude can't be helped, but you're a representative for this island, you know?"

"It's not my fault," Gill argued, absolutely livid. "She's the one getting all light-headed for no reason! And you weren't there–" He waved his arms, but then dropped them. "She stares at me like I'm some kind of... some kind of dairy product! Ready to be sliced and served from my own egg carton."

"That's a good one. You should write it down."

"I WILL." He produced his diary and slammed it on the counter, furiously scribbling in it with a fluffy quill.

"Any problems?" Jin asked, not feeling comfortable with just leaving after eavesdropping on the two. Gill's quill continued to bob with insane yet quiet wrath.

"It's the new farmer." Elli hopelessly glanced down at her apron and patted it. "Gill teased her and called her a fool–"

"–Did not," Gill interrupted; "but if it suits now..."

"Ahem. The new girl got so upset that she almost fainted," Elli finished.

"That's just ridiculous," Jin said, pushing up his glasses. "You two hardly know each other. Goodness. Kids these days..."

"Barely past your twenties and you already sound like an old man." Gill sniffed, not looking up once.

Jin scoffed lightly and pulled a small green book from his lab coat. "I'm taking this," he said, brushing it past his black bangs and walking out the double doors.

When Gill finally noticed the theft, he nearly jumped over the counter. "HEY," he blasted; "You can't just 'take' books out of our proud town library!"

* * *

><p><em>Kappas are also know for their esoteric medical knowledge. A kappa will teach their secret arts to whoever saves or spares their life. At other times, they will swear servitude or offer daily gifts of fish.<em>

When Jin pulled his nose from the book, her nearly jumped. On the clinic's front porch before him was none other than Akari. She stared at him, and in such a consuming way, that it was almost like she was eating him with her eyes alone. For the very first time, Jin agreed with Gill's disturbed way of thinking.

The doctor quickly pocketed the book.

_Wow,_ Akari thought, unable to take her eyes off the doctor. _Such long, dark hair. And those intense eyes... She's beautiful... Way prettier than I'll ever be._

"Hello. How are you?" Jin greeted her tensely. "You're looking much better."

Jin was a guy. Not a girl.

"Oh, yes. I'm feeling much better." Akari nodded her head in agreement, trying not to cry in agony. She was so caught up in it, that she didn't notice the water spilling from her head. Jin looked away, repressing a snort. He adjusted his glasses as an excuse. If he only knew what she had just been thinking.

"I examined you when you were brought to the inn." Jin faced her once again, frowning and being careful not to laugh at her condition. "I'm glad to see you're doing all right now."

"Examined?" Akari flinched, feeling like her legs would crumble out from underneath her. "Y-you didn't notice anything... WEIRD... right?" She wrung her hands in sheer terror. Speaking was not helping– speaking had made things worse, but hopefully it could also make things better. "I mean," she continued; "Not that there's anything WEIRD about me! Uwa ha... Ehehehe–" She laughed the most awkward laugh that she had ever laughed. It was so awkward, that she immediately recognized it as such and crowned it king of the awkward laugh festival. This all happened within the confines of her gourd-like head.

Stepping up onto the curb, Jin leaned forward and lowered his cold eyes at her. His unmoving mouth explained nothing, but yet... everything. In an instant he had conveyed his knowledge of her and even his intentions of blackmail.

_You did notice something weird, didn't you?_ Akari thought, clenching her teeth and nearly growling like a hot spring monkey.

"I'm Doctor Jin. Be sure to visit our clinic whenever you aren't feeling well." He pushed his glasses up, which casted off an ominous glare. "However, if you live a healthy life, you won't be needing to visit us much."

And that was a threat.

* * *

><p>Thanks for all the reviews, guys! And thanks for reading!<p> 


	4. The Next Chore

"Moving along... Since your house is still being built," said Mayor Hamilton; "you can stay here at Souffle Farm in the meantime."

"Huh?" Akari emitted, looking up at the modest farm house. The mayor's brochure, which had lured her to this island, (and which had prompted his son to pompously call her a fool for believing in it– or so she had thought) said nothing about staying in a stranger's house! She began to have a panic attack, tensing her arms and breathing in and out quickly. _I stayed on the boat for so long, that I thought I was going insane!_ she thought; _I was always worried about being found out by the crew– or that that I'd run out of water– I can't do this, but I have to–_

Being part kappa, Akari could only partially restore her strength with fresh water, and only fully after drinking her home's water (or in this case, after quickly claiming a new lake or river and drenching herself in it). So, after spending a week on a boat (salt water was no good), she'd drained every bottle she'd brought from home and grown very weak.

"It's a nice little farm," Hamilton rambled on, waving his arms about like a toddler; "Maybe you'll learn a little something about ranching, eh?"

If presented with the choice, Akari would've much rather camped out in the wilderness. "How about," she began, gulping anxiously; "somewhere else?"

Mayor Hamilton was NOT pleased as punch with this reply. He promptly told her that she'd have to make do, frowned, and ditched her there with a huff. It was unfortunate that he mistook her fear for ungratefulness, as it dealt a heavy blow to his opinion of her. Not that she was trying to earn points with him, or anything!

When Akari entered the modest farm house, she was greeted by a small shop filled with flower bouquets, fresh produce, and a sour, middle aged man who didn't seem to know who she was or why she was there. When she explained to him (with more tact than the last few introductions), he scoffed and answered curtly, "You're moving here? Why would anyone move to such a boring and decrepit place..."

"It seems nice enough," Akari said; "and also I'm–"

"–Anywho," the man cut her off; "my name is Craig. I own this farm. If you have no business here, go home." He frowned sternly at her.

Though Akari was hurt, she was used to not being welcomed ANYWHERE, so she took it in stride. Besides, she now had a polite reason to leave.

Being polite was very important, you see.

Before Akari could turn and leave, an equally sour woman wobbled into the room. Though she had a pretty face, it was neutralized by her furrowed eyebrows and depressed expression. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "I'm afraid we're quite busy now. Come back some other time."

"R-right, ma'am. I was just leaving." Akari cracked a miserable smile and turned for the door. She would've left, then and there, but then the unexpected happened; the sour woman opened her mouth and made a startling noise.

"CRAIG!" she screeched; "The field is overrun with weeds! Get to weeding already!"

"Yeah, yeah..." the man yammered at her; "Calm down already. I'm going'." Limping to the door, he stopped beside Akari and scowled. "You're in my way." He nodded sarcastically, buffeting her with his aura of severe disapproval.

"I'm very sorry!" Akari tried not to cry, stepping away and allowing him passage. The creaky door slammed shut behind him.

Sighing, the farm wife then groaned and held her heavy, woebegone head as if she had been shot in the neck.

"Are... are you ok?" Akari asked quietly, feeling worried for her.

Surprised, the woman looked up. "What?" she snapped; "You're still here?" She frowned painfully as soon as she realized how snippy she was being– the girl was honestly concerned for her, after all. But instead of saying anything else, the woman crossed her arms and looked away.

"I'm sorry to intrude," Akari said, trying to be as concise as possible; "I'm here because the mayor brought me here. There must've been some kind of misunderstanding–"

"–OH!" the woman barked in epiphany. "So you're the helper the Mayor sent over... I see... You're hired."

"At your service!" Akari nearly bowed. Thankfully, though, she caught herself just in time and remained upright. For why she had changed her mind about leaving, however, she was unsure. Maybe it had something to do with the woman's parental tone.

After introducing herself as Ruth, (and after reintroducing her grouch of a husband as Craig), the woman regained a modest amount of cheer and so sent Akari right out the door to work.

Craig was surprised when Akari asked to help out in the fields. He thought she was too weak and scrawny, but took her offer anyways. As he sent her out to tend the strawberry crops, he pulled out a stopwatch– of all things– and timed her. She was so self-conscious as he kept informing her of the dwindling seconds, that she kept making mistakes. It didn't help that she was still worried about what Doctor Jin knew about her. She was even more worried that he was the one who had refilled her head bowl.

_If that's the case,_ Akari thought, panting as she watered the last row of strawberries, _then I owe him!_ She couldn't let any debt go unpaid– that was the kappa way. As troublesome and frightening as it was, she needed to find out for sure if he was the one who did it or not. Even if he wasn't, it was important to confront him.

_Because if he knows..._ Akari thought;_ I need to make a deal of secrecy with him!  
><em>

"Time's up," Craig said, clicking his stopwatch. "Now, let's see how long it took for you to finish..." After looking at the difference, he stared stonily at her. "Not bad for a slacker like you, I guess."

"T-thank you?" Akari panted, not sure if he had complimented or insulted her.

"All right, good work. That's it for today." He nodded, revealing a faint smile. "Now clean up. You're a mess! When you're done, we're having dinner." He brusquely turned and walked back to the house.

_He's a bit rough, but... he's not so bad,_ Akari thought, unable to keep from smiling, herself. She held the watering can close; Craig had given it to her as a gift earlier.

_"Don't get too excited!"_ the man had said. _"You're going to be using that thing for the next chore."_ He laughed sinisterly, but it was certain that he was having a good time– possibly, for the first time in a long time.

* * *

><p>The acronym for this story is SOAK. I didn't intend for that, but it really fits...<p> 


	5. Strawberry Fields

Breakfast that morning was exactly like dinner the night before. Craig and Ruth, intent on bickering at each other– pounded the table– rattling the plates and silverware like a typhoon ravaging a greenhouse.

"CRAIG!" Ruth yelled; "we need more turnips for snack food!"

"I said, those grow too fast!" he complained. "I don't feel like re-seeding and re-hoeing twice a week... We're sticking to vine crops."

"TUUURNIPS–"

Feeling uncomfortable beyond compare, Akari held her eating utensils close to keep them from bouncing off the dining table.

Anissa, the daughter of Ruth and Craig, wisely stared down at her tea mug with sensitive eyes and held her cloth napkin roll. When the argument reached an unbearable level, however, she unsheathed a butter knife from the napkin and– swiftly– cleaved it down– piercing the air with a violent clang and slicing her tea mug clear in two.

Red tea gushed out from the halved mug, spreading over the table along with an unsettling silence. Akari nearly jumped from her seat but was too startled to do so. _Did Anissa just... CUT A WHOLE MUG IN HALF? _And with a butter knife, no less.

"...Right." Craig said at last, pulling at his flat cap's brim. "Today. After Akari harvests the strawberries, I'll grow some turnips."

His wife nodded forcibly and wiped her mouth before answering: "Thank you. I'm sorry for yelling at you, dear."

Was this how this family's dynamics worked? From this event, Akari finally understood the relationship between the couple. Their daughter was their marriage-counseling ninja.

High noon couldn't have arrived sooner that day, but when Akari trudged in from the strawberry fields, she was positively withered from its brutal passage. _Things have been calm ever since Anissa showed up, and everyone has been so generous, _she thought;_ but I can't stay here much longer! If I do, I'll shrivel up like dried fish._

Despite several small sneaks from the watering can behind the house, Akari had no real privacy for soaking her scales or refilling her head bowl. There wasn't even a bathroom! That was understandable, though, since no one ever needed to use the bathroom in this world. Every person was perpetually constipated.

Ruth, having beckoned Akari in from the fields, made an effort to not look so woeful as the girl entered the house. "Oh!" the woman said, nearly bobbling her troubled head off; "Done already?" Reaching behind and producing a handful of strawberries from NOWHERE, she stuffed them into Akari's hands and told her to deliver them to all the kind neighbors– whoever they were– and to "come back by six."

Eager to repay her hostess's kindness (as being polite was important), Akari obliged and ran from the dusty dirt roads of the Ganache Mining District. Holding her breath, she listened to the irregular heartbeat pounding in her chest and her strength momentarily returned. When required to do something by proper etiquette, a kappa can never refuse– and will often resist one's physical limits just to obey...

Southward Akari ran, soaring down the wooden gated road and gazing longingly at the lakefront. Maple Lake, she remembered it's name, observing its lily pad covered shores. _I was planning on this being my new home,_ she thought; _but now..._ It was impossible. When she had first seen the brochure map of Waffle Island (fabricated by the mayor), she understood Maple Lake as being a sanctuary guarded by forest and greenery. In reality, though, it was guarded by homes hungry for a lakefront view.

_Terrible... I can't even swim here!_ Akari thought, holding her face and quivering. _If I do, the whole town will see my disgusting monster scales! What do I do? There's another place, right? A river... _Glancing around, her eyes caught sight of Anissa on the lake shore's far end– who was standing, motionlessly– staring at the water. Perhaps she wanted to slice it with a butter knife.

Akari's feet moved on their own and before she was even aware of it, she was pushing a strawberry in the young woman's face. As polite as Akari was, it was impossible for her to fight her violent kappa gift-giving instincts. It was almost as if some other force was controlling her!

"Those strawberries look delicious!" Anissa emitted. "But why are you giving me these?"

"A simple gift..." Akari chocked, realizing how ridiculous this was. These strawberries were from Anissa's own farm! _I look like a moron._ Akari realized, trying not to cry. To her surprise, though, the young woman happily took the strawberry and kept it. Soothing away any doubts, she bid Akari good luck on the rest of her deliveries.

Running around frantically for the next hour (lost) Akari eventually found the head chef of Sundae Inn– Yolanda. Gladly taking a strawberry, the elderly woman offered her regards to Souffle Farm and the girl took off again, running breathlessly, searching for ANYONE to dump the last berry on. _It's five o'clock... But Ruth said to be back by six! _

"No matter," Akari said to herself. _I'll definitely make it! _Determined, she took the next route that caught her eye– an uphill road which led to a church overlooking the lake district. Bounding up its crumbling pavers, she reached the top and shortly caught her breath, locking eyes with her next human target.

"Kni..." Akari said, recognizing the young man from the town hall: the mayor's son."–Knickerbockers?"

He glared at her, wondering if she truly forgot his name. _How is that even possible?_ he wondered; _It's four letters! Gill. Is she doing this to tick me off? _Irritated, he got ready to give hear an earful– but not before she shoved a fresh strawberry in his face and shouted a forcefully jubilant: "HEY THERE."

"Ha...hi?" Gill managed to speak, instinctively grabbing the fresh produce away. _For... me?_ he wondered, finally noticing how nervous Akari was; her eyes were squeezed shut and her fists were clenched tightly against her chest.

A fidgety girl, giving a sudden gift to a boy? Gill definitely knew what was going on– not that he could blame her or anything. He felt that he was quite the catch. "Hm," he scoffed in a self-satisfied manner; "thanks."

"You're welcome!" Akari said, punching the air excitedly. "A simple gift from Souffle Farm! ...Now I can go eat dinner." Facing away, she rubbed her belly.

Gill choked, his breath sucked away as if he had been punched in the gut. Forlorn, he looked away– off into the distance– to a place where he didn't have to admit that he had overestimated himself. Did glory exist for an unrewarded youth like him? Endless trials existed for great heroes. He was definitely going to write about these epic thoughts. Later.

"Are you being useful at Souffle Farm?" Gill said, unable to hide his dissatisfaction; "Don't slack off." Expecting Akari to faint in anger, he instead found that she had turned her back on him completely– as if he wasn't even there– just so that she could jump one meter in the air (and in the most ridiculous bow-legged jumping jack that he had ever seen).

"Finished delivering all strawberries!" Akari narrated aloud; "Let's go back to the farm to report."

Discombobulated, Gill watched her wobble down the road lifelessly, like a drooling, lead-headed zombie. Or a half asleep cow. "There's definitely something..." he muttered; "–wrong with that girl."


	6. Caramel Dive

She appeared again that night– the dream woman in the mermaid tail dress. Glowing, blindingly, she emitted a white ring of light which seeped into the blackness, surrounding her much like a moon halo. Gazing at Akari, intently, the woman opened her mouth, flopping her thick, grass-like hair over her shoulders as she moved.

Akari could only stare back, perplexed._ Who is this woman? _Akari wondered;_ And why does she keep reappearing like this?_ _Does this mean I'll die in seven days?_

Pleadingly, the woman clenched her fists close, as if begging, and with a faint, harmonious voice, she tried to ask Akari for help: "... the Harvest Goddess... my... Please..."

_Me?_ Akari asked, drifting away from the woman. _But I'm very scrawny... I smell like a kappa and everyone knows I'm suspicious. You should... ask someone better. _

Looking up, the woman gazed sympathetically at Akari– with gentle, crestfallen eyes.

_Oh... don't feel sorry for me,_ Akari thought, touched by the woman's kindness._ You're the one in trouble, right? You seem trapped. I'll try to help you. But... Where are we?_

When Akari woke up that morning, drowsy and disconcerted, she wandered into the shop and found the mayor– chatting quietly with Ruth. When he saw Akari, he immediately asked her what was wrong, inviting her into a discussion about the mysterious glowing woman.

"Hm... Strange dream," the mayor said, holding his mouth in wonder. "Did she look like... like a goddess of some sort?"

"A goddess?" Akari repeated, certain that she remembered something about that. "Well. She– I mean–" Akari paused, distracted by the strange swaying movements that the short man was making. It almost seemed as if his entire body was a round coconut, trying to slosh its milk around. "Ah," she tried to continue; "There was–"

Instantly, the mayor's eyes bugged out– startling Akari about as much as he appeared to be. Ruth, standing nearby, curiously glance up from her flower-cutting table.

"By any chance... was she like..." Mayor Hamilton stopped, narrowing his eyes. "No, it can't be... That's not right... hmm."

"W-what?" Akari asked, unsettled by his secrecy.

Knowing that she was suspecting him, the mayor panicked accordingly, dabbing at the sweat beading off his face. "Well, let's forget about dreams for now, Akari!" he spouted; "Your house is completed!"

"It is?" Akari gasped ecstatically.

Hamilton chortled gleefully when he noticed how easily he had distracted her. "AND it's rent free!" he proclaimed, throwing up his arms. This got the girl even more excited, so much so, that he felt inclined to add that it was "even FURNISHED!"

Akari punched the air excitedly and sang inaudible music notes.

Hamilton had to ham it up even further, explaining how he was having a "MEGA RED TAG SALE" for this one house that Akari was already getting for free. It was unclear where the actual sale was, but she was pumped nonetheless.

"Just tell us where to put the house!" Hamilton said, making Akari wonder if the house was a moveable float.

"Right." Akari nodded, moving closer to personally ask him something: "Um... Which place..." She paused, dizzy with apprehension; "Which place would you say is the most _isolated_? You know. Furthest from... everyone?"

Hamilton squinted his eyes at her.

"N-not that I'm planning on being unsociable– or anything!" Akari blurted forcibly; "I just really want to develop an abandoned area! One with water nearby, hopefully. You know, urban development– man against nature... Go humans, go!"

"There IS the Hilltop Plot," Hamilton mentioned, holding his mouth thoughtfully and believing her bizarre excuse. "Two steps from the river and twenty steps to the sea! Why, I imagined you'd even wake up to the sound of the stream!"

"I'll take it," Akari cried deliriously, clasping her hands together. "Thank you. I owe you for life!"

"No no, it's rent free, remember?"

After he left, Ruth beckoned Akari to the flower-cutting table, congratulating her while ruminating over the fact that the girl would soon be leaving them.

"Oh, no... I'm not sad or anything..." Ruth said, frowning broodingly. In truth, she looked sadder than Akari had ever seen her before. (Amazing how that was even possible!)

"I'll come visit you soon!" Akari promised, wondering if such a simple thing could really console or make any person happy. Taking her by surprise, though, Ruth smiled brightly at the fact; every worried wrinkle smoothed on her face and she appeared as young as a child. For the first time, Akari felt welcomed in a home that was not her own.

Thanking her once more, Akari headed for the door, but stopped when Ruth called out in sudden realization: "I almost forgot! Hold on a moment!"

When they rejoined in the center of the shop, Ruth handed Akari two days worth of pay and a gift box of seeds.

"...My husband won't say it," Ruth explained; "but he was happy to have you here. You remind him of our son who's staying with some relatives in the city."

Akari already suspected that Craig didn't hate her after all, but hearing acknowledgment from his wife did away with any doubts.

Saying their goodbyes once more, Akari left, springing away with a lively step. _I remind him of their son..._ She smiled to herself, leaving off down the mining district's dusty dirt road.

_Their son._

Akari's limbs locked up when she finally realized the implications. _So he thought I was a BOY? _She held her face and nearly cried out, disturbed by the unglamorous notion.

Well. It wasn't anything new. Even Pascal, the captain of the boat which carried her to this island, had to ask her what gender she was. Sniffling dejectedly, she stopped and rubbed her eyes. At least she was warmly accepted now. _I'll be grateful– who cares about such a small thing! _Still, she was a little bit hurt.

Hearing quick footsteps from behind, Akari turned around, finding that farmer Craig was running straight for her.

"...Here," he panted with forced grouchiness, readying a gift box; "it's nothing special, but I want you to have this." Despite his efforts to hide his good nature, it showed through with his faint smile.

Opening the box, and realizing what he had given her, Akari rocketed one meter into the air and unnecessarily proclaimed: "Got a 'hoe'!"

Craig was so confused, that all he could do was clap.

Saying their goodbyes, Akari left once more, but this time with the mayor, who was waiting for her at the end of the district road. Informing her that her house was complete, AGAIN, he led her way up to the north-east side of the island overlooking the river.

Dewy air, made cool by the adjacent river, peacefully swayed through the trees as Akari marveled at her new home. It was so new that she could still smell the crispness of its freshly cut pine and cedar wood.

"...Well," the mayor said; "I can see you're busy admiring your new home. It IS quite a beauty."

Akari would've answered Hamilton, but she was in so much of a daze that by the time she was ready, he was already talking again. "Right. Well, I should get back to work," he said, but with hesitance. "One more thing... The dream you said you had about that lady. Don't worry about it too much. Just focus on your new life here on the island."

Akari watched the plumply rotund man leave from the corner of her eye– certainly, he was hiding something. But being that it was such a pleasant afternoon, she decided to relax instead of questioning him and being rude. He had been very generous with her, after all.

Entering her house, Akari soaked in the warm and fuzzy light pouring in from the windows. Later, she would have to initiate her nearby river as her kappa water home. But first, she considered her ranch's name. _Something... to go with the sweets theme of the town,_ she thought;_ and as homage to the river and waterfall nearby._

Akari right away knew what it would be. _Caramel Ranch._

Later that day, when night had fallen and everyone was asleep in bed, Akari walked down from her farm's hill overlooking the water. Tired and covered in dirt, it had been hard to resist running and diving headfirst into the water all day– especially while watering her newly planted seeds. _Because bathing in daylight is risky,_ she considered, flopping off her boots at the shore and entering ankle deep into the water. _Especially in a place I'm not used to._

Looking around quickly and trusting the cover of darkness, Akari slipped off her shirt and kicked away her shorts. _But it should be fine now! _Bumpy green scales were already raising on her legs and soaking up water. Holding in a yelp of excitement, she cannon-balled in and grew alive as the water currents danced and tickled all around.

_What was the ritual that Papa taught me, again?_ Akari thought carefully, managing to catch a glimpse of the peaking stars through the rippling clear water. Being only half kappa, she wasn't nearly strong enough to create her own magical domain, or even just a dimensional pocket, so she could only use a very simple method.

_'No worries. Easy,'_ her father had told her;_ 'Kiss the stream. One can claim anything that way. Also works for humans, same way. Just not as strong.'_

Closing her lips, tightly, Akari floated backwards, locking her mouth against the current and nearly inhaling it. For just a moment, she could feel the current grow warm and then almost hot. Floating under, she stayed there for a while, lulled almost to sleep by the warm, enveloping water. Before long, though, her lungs began to burn.

Blasting up to the surface, Akari gasped for breath. Though she was part kappa, she was part human. As such, she could only hold her breath for just awhile before feeling pain. After that, she would experience all the suffering of drowning, even remaining conscious throughout, enduring the agony of being human. It was unknown if she could ever truly drown, but she always heard the saying about how even kappas drown.

_Hmm, the current's kind of strong,_ Akari thought, swimming far upstream. Climbing up on a low, rocky ledge near the base of the nearby waterfall, she panted quietly. "Whew," she gasped, drip-drying on the cold rock beneath her; she had already soaked her water reservoir to full capacity. "Getting tired..." Though she felt much better, being re-hydrated and all, swimming against the current had quite taken the life out of her. She was a good swimmer, as was due to her heritage, but even kappas get tired while swimming UPSTREAM.

_Oh wait! _Akari suddenly remembered something. _What was it that Papa told me before I left?_

_'Stream is good,'_ the taciturn kappa had said to his daughter;_ 'Lake is better. Slow-moving waters? Best for baby kappa.'_

"B-baby?" Akari sputtered, leaning on her hands and knees. _That's right! I'm such an idiot!_ she realized– her head drooping in self-reproach; _He was warning me about rough waters... He was telling me to claim something calm– like a pond. Why didn't I make a note of that? _Her father had a strange way of speaking, true, but she still felt disappointed for not understanding him sooner. After all, he would speak to her more often than he'd even speak to her own mother. Always, he was watching Akari from mirrors and rain puddles, looking out for her while her mother was busy working. Sometimes, he would even speak to her when she was lonely.

_And whenever the other kids bullied me,_ Akari looked down;_ he'd play tricks on them and make them go away... _

_That reminds me–_ Akari sat up, pulling her legs close._ Mama used to get upset since he'd rarely visit her. She'd often ask 'why did he marry me?' But he told me himself, that sometimes she was a little too forceful and scary– that he didn't know how to properly voice his feelings to her. I'm sure of it, though; that he was always watching over her– just like how he was always watching over me._

"I hope," Akari said, looking into the water; "that they can finally express their feelings to each other now."

_I'm really lonely without them... but I don't regret anything,_ Akari thought, looking down at the water; _Because I don't want to regret anything anymore... _She froze when a shadow fell over her. Looking up, petrified, Akari saw him.

A man shouldering a wide-brimmed hat was staring across at Akari from the other side of the riverbank.


	7. Even Fish Drown

Toby enjoyed the world of fishing more than anything. Lying on the plush, ticklish grass in his ample spare time, he found relief from all the pressures of the past as he'd doze off, occasionally waking when a leaf smacked to the ground or when something tugged at his cuddled fishing pole.

Yes, Toby enjoyed the life of fishing, and fish especially. To him, fish was the best of all meats; chunky and light, grilled, and crumbling in the mouth– or raw and crunchy– stimulating and refreshing. And the fragrance! Lasting and zesty. Even alive, fish were a visual feast, with their sequined scales and deep eyes which always seemed to see beyond the truth. He could go on, but silence was always better than a barrage of words.

Fish. Toby had never met a person more engaging than the silent, wide-eyed creature. At least, not until now.

Toby's fishing pole crashed to the ground, rattling away, discarded in his wonder. There was a girl, a young woman, but also a fish, all in one, bathing on the river ledge before him. He'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Akari gasped when she saw the young man– slowly, he crept forward, keeping his gaze on her and fighting to steady himself in his flip flops; he was trying to climb over the craggy mountainside between them.

_No– stay away!_ Akari wanted to yell, but held her voice in. If he heard her voice, he could identify her later, so she decided it best not to speak. She still had a chance to escape– after all, she was covered in scales and her hair was slicked down. She barely looked human. Standing up, she clenched her arms close, covering herself in an effort to remain decent.

"I won't hurt you," Toby said, struggling to climb over. Though voice was calm and soft, Akari could sense a severe degree of mania behind it.

Who in their right mind would want to get closer to a fish girl, anyways? Akari could still remember the jeers of her old villagers, calling her an abomination– how her father was green and gross, like a booger. That her mother was an insane freak for marrying such a thing; how whenever they looked at her, they wanted to vomit. All of them would say the same things, over and over, making it true. Then they'd laugh it off and leave her in tears.

_This is something I live with,_ Akari thought;_ Something I'm fine with. No one else has to know, but– I don't want to feel ashamed anymore! I wanted to escape this! _Plunging into the water, terrified, she dove back first, blasting down beneath the heavy bubbles of the pounding waterfall. Falling deeper, she retreated into darkness. There was no greater deed of shame than escape. Two people have seen her already... The humiliation.

_Am I a coward?_ Akari wondered; _I'm fine with being alone... I've been used to it for a long time... but why is it... _Somehow, her lungs were burning already and her eyes were stinging. Her chest was squeezing so tight, that she wanted to wail and shrivel up. One time, long ago, her mother had explained to her how this was what a breaking heart felt. The pain of drowning. Falling in love was like falling into a watery abyss and losing oxygen.

Akari, however, was certain that she was ONLY just drowning. Dim water roiled above her, croaking dully. Glancing up, hoping to see the comforting glimmer of the familiar stars, she instead saw him– the man who had accosted her– floating down. He was loose limbed and motionless, not making the effort to swim to safety. Watching him, her self-absorption faded and she filled with a different kind of terror.

Swimming like a frog, repetitively swinging her legs outwards, Akari flitted all around him. Poking him, and getting no response, not even a twitch, she determined that he was unconscious! (As if his X'd out eyes weren't any indication. Why would they be!)

Grabbing the fisherman's arms, Akari hoisted him up onto her back and, puffing out her cheeks, swam straight through the rapidly flowing water. _I don't know I'm strong enough, _she thought, clenching her eyes shut and struggling. _My arms are weakening and I keep sinking. It hurts._ She had inhaled a great deal of water and it was hard to concentrate through her instinctual panic. Such an eldritch sensation would've driven any sane human mad.

_Somebody... help... _Akari asked desperately, seeking the magical aid of gods or even harvest sprites; _Please–_

As if hearing the girl's thoughts, a stream of hot water jetted against her, warming her body and pushing her forward, powerfully. So strong was the current, that before Akari knew it– she had smashed head first into the once-distant riverbank. Yanking her mouth above water and yelling out painfully, she gasped for breath and quickly slung the drowned young man up over the rocky ledge.

Climbing out of the water, Akari momentarily held her throbbing head but then rose to her feet, and with a strong sense of purpose, grabbed the fisherman's legs and dragged him, with an unbearable slowness, away from the river and up onto a boulder– where she hung him upside down to dry. She then proceeded to beat his stomach like a dusty carpet. She pounded and swatted!

At last, the fisherman vomited up a pint of water. And even a rainbow trout!

"Good," Akari wheezed, heavy-lidded and all worn out. "He's breathing now... Geez. This guy... What was he even trying to do?" Looking up at the sky, her tiredness fled when she saw light on the horizon. Time had moved at a supersonic rate and now she was almost exposed in broad daylight while wearing nothing but her underwear. Well, at least she was wearing SOMETHING.

"No way..." Akari desperately scanned the area. _Where are my clothes?_

Groaning slightly, Toby actually opened his eyes– probably for the first time in years– and gazed upwards at her. His minor back pains vanished. He forgot that he was laying, upside down, on a rock. Time stopped, and his memories filled with what he saw. "Frog print," he said.

Wondering what he was even talking about, Akari looked down at herself, finally realizing what she was wearing: a childish bra and panty set. One covered in cheerful green frog faces. Well, at least it wasn't the fish print one.

_Mom! Why did you buy me such embarrassing underwear?_ Akari thought, holding her face, shaking her head, and forgetting ENTIRELY about how she had helped pick them out in the first place. So agitated was she, that she bent down, procured a rainbow trout, and slapped the fisherman with it.

Toby fell back down, unconscious once again.

_I need to get out of here!_ Akari thought. Finding her clothes on the bank, she bundled them up in her arms and ran– disappearing behind the hill.


	8. The Men of the Mining District

With slumped shoulder and fizzy vision, Akari trudged down the road.

Last night, after the excitement at Caramel River, Akari had barely managed to grab two hours of sleep. How she wanted to stop under a tree and take a nap! But there would be none of that. Being a farmer, she had a potato crop to tend to, and being finished with watering and weeding it for the day, she now had Doctor Jin to find. There was much to discuss.

A voice mewled from behind Akari, and when she turned around, she found an orange tabby cat. "Ki... kitty," she said, bending low to pet him. As soon as her hand touched him, however, his teeth clamped down on her fingers– and wouldn't release.

Akari should've know this would happen. Smelling like fish and all, cats couldn't help but want to take a bite out of her. But this didn't deter her. Though the pain was overwhelming and she definitely wanted to cry, she endured it and took her other hand– petting the cat's head. "There there," she said with strained sweetness. The cat purred and grew distracted– just enough for her to slip her wounded hand away. Hurrying down the road, she miraculously escaped before he could pounce her.

Once again, Akari wandered, lost, around the Maple Lake District. The only bearings that she had was the church in the distance. _Souffle Farm is north from here,_ she realized, wandering up the steep hill which led to the Ganache Mining district. But where was Waffle Town? If her memory served correct, the clinic was in that faraway place.

Akari's sense of direction was certainly no good. "All the roads look the same to me," she said, scowling in upset. Padding across the dry road and finally standing before the household of Souffle Farm, she stopped. Listening closely, she could hear Ruth and Craig's voices screaming over each other from within– and then suddenly– a booming clang.

_...I'll come back later_, Akari thought, walking away. Trudging north, she glanced around and realized that she had never been to this part of the district before. Poking around and briefly investigating the nearby mine's entrance, she regained focus and hurried on, rounding the road's corner and slowing when she heard an earthshaking noise. She looked ahead.

A tall young man in a tight, black muscle shirt was hammering away at a pile of blocks. Stopping to wipe the sweat from his brow, he flinched and turned around– a blank, startled expression settling on his face.

_Did I make too much noise?_ Akari wondered; _But he was so loud! Slinging a hammer like that... he looks really big and strong..._

Akari knew about love at first sight, but in this moment, she could not recall such a fantastical ideology– even if it was an accurate description for what was befalling her. Aware that her face was burning– unbearably– she instead blamed it on the scorching noonday sun.

The young man quickly did away with his blank stare and smiled pleasantly at the girl. "Oh!" he managed out with a laugh. "Hey, how's it going?"

"F... fine?" Akari answered, confusedly touching her hot face. What was this uncomfortable warmth rising up inside of her? She had no reason for it and it was unsettling. _Wait, have I ever even met this guy before? _she wondered. What was she getting all happy about? She had never experienced this kind of nervousness before.

Holding his chin and looking her over, the young man nodded approvingly. "It's nice to see a new face around here!" he said.

"Thank... you," Akari stammered, flopping her arms around as she tried to explain herself; "I just moved here a few days ago... I'm a farmer!"

"Ah, so you're the one the Mayor was talking about. So, you're Akari."

With quivering eyes, the girl gulped and averted her gaze, instead fixating it right past the young man. For some reason, she couldn't bear to look at his face. "Yes, that's me. Akari..." She nodded gawkily. Her cheeks were still burning and her fists were now clenched tight. _I don't understand... Am I running out of water again? _she wondered.

"Nice to meet you!" he said, raising his hand and waving in an exaggerated manner. "I'm Owen. I work at the blacksmith's."

"Very pleased to make your acquaintance." Akari nearly bowed, but stopped herself. If she was already overheating, she'd be worse off if she leaked any more water. However, as worried as she was about that, she was suddenly concerned about what Owen was doing– or more specifically– what he was hammering. "If you don't mind me asking," she began; "why are you breaking up those cement blocks?"

For a half second, Owen's smile disappeared and he resumed his prior blankness. Raising his arms, he shrugged widely at her. "I'm breaking rocks down to material stone," he said. "It's used to build houses."

_R-really?_ Akari thought, realizing that something was definitely off. _But those aren't natural rocks... They're man-made cement blocks! There's no reason to be breaking them down... they're already formed! _Observing the pile closer, she noticed something out of the ordinary. Owen had been chipping away at a single cement block– and since half of its surface was gone– it revealed a long, varnished piece of wood buried within.

_A... handle?_ Akari realized. Was something stuck inside the block? Looking up, she saw that once again Owen was holding his chin and looking her over. This time, however, he had a calculating look in his eyes.

To combat Akari's suspicions, Owen smiled pleasantly and closed these eyes. _This girl is a little too smart for her own good,_ he he had just the plan for distracting her. Still, it would be a good idea to keep an eye out for her...

* * *

><p>Akari held her new– but certainly old– hammer in hand. As soon as Owen had gifted it to her, he had wished her good luck and then ran off– abandoning his block pile. Had he been hammering it just for kicks? Well it didn't matter to Akari anymore. It didn't matter if a wooden handle was stuck in some preformed block. To her, it actually looked like the handle of an old farm tool. Maybe it got stuck in there during a construction job and he was trying to get it out. It didn't make sense why he would hide such a fact... but who cared?<p>

What mattered to Akari now, above all else, was that Owen had given her a gift. It would take more than gravity and a lack of sleep to keep her from beaming so idiotically and cheerfully. Wobbling up the road, lead-headed and blurry-visioned, she briefly regained energy again as the road grew greener and less dusty. Onward she kept going, her curiosity driving her forward. There was a shady forest up ahead!

Reaching the winding road's end, Akari entered into the forest's gated clearing where she saw two young men standing around a stump. Right away, the youngest– a light-haired boy named Bo– came up and greeted her, introducing himself as an apprentice at the carpenter's shop. However, he seemed more captivated by his partner than by the new farmer girl.

"You see that guy over there?" Bo said, nodding his round, doll-like head. "He's another apprentice. He's a lot better than me." With idolizing eyes, he turned around to watch.

With a charged shout and a burst of energy, the dark-haired apprentice raised his axe up over his scarf-covered head, leapt into the air, and slammed the axe down over the stump– chopping it into four perfectly equal planks.

"Whoa! See that?" Bo said to Akari; "That was was really TWO axe strokes just now, but he did it so fast, that it only looked like one–" As eager as he was to give a play-by-play, he stopped when he saw that she had gone completely pale. "...Akari?" He asked.

Akari froze, her startled eyes locked on the dissected stump. Her knees went wobbly and her body went numb. If that stump was a person... if that stump had been a person, indeed! They'd no longer be a person, simply put.

_South from our old farm, there lived a carpenter in the forest,_ Akari thought, remembering him well; _He didn't gossip about my parents like the other villagers. Sometimes, he would even try to be hospitable to my mother. However, whenever he'd see my face, he'd fly into an unexplainable rage... Holding his axe way up over his head, with a murderous glint in his eyes, he'd try to–_

"Quadra Chop...? Nah... Ultra Mega Splitter...?" the dark-haired apprentice rambled on, trying to name his technique; "Nah, that's not quite it. Hmm..." He held his chin in reflection, bobbling his head around as if trying to shake a rare thought loose. For a few seconds, Bo yelled at him and they exchanged a few words, but Akari didn't pay any attention nor snap from her terror until Bo said her name several times.

"Akari. Akari, this is Luke, the star apprentice," Bo explained.

"Nice meeting you!" The dark-haired apprentice came closer, glaring at her fiercely but with a boyish smile. If his flame-themed headscarf told her anything about him, it was that he was hot-blooded (in the innocent definition of the word, of course).

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Akari said, calming down significantly once she realized that he had left his axe by the split stump.

Luke, however, took her words of burgeoning friendship quite literally, slipping his arm around her neck and pulling her very close. "Well, if you need anything," he said in a very business-like manner; "come and talk to me! I'll see what I can do!" He patted her back so roughly, that she had to cough to re-establish her shaken lungs.

To say that Akari was uncomfortable would be an understatement, but she definitely didn't want to be rude. After all, Luke was genuinely offering her his help. Thankfully, Bo pried Luke off and pulled him back, all while ignoring his protests.

"He's not really that helpful," Bo explained, smiling apologetically. "Anyway, nice to meet you." Saying this, he let go of Luke and bowed. He bowed and Akari could not help it.

When bowed to, one must return the bow. This was kappa etiquette! Akari's blood forbade her from disobeying it. Automatically, she felt her spine bend and her back cave forward. Soon, her head was parallel to the ground, and with panicked eyes, she watched as precious life fluid poured onto the dark, rich soil before her. _It's no good..._ she thought;_ I really can't help it._

Feeling even dizzier than before, Akari quickly stood up straight. No one had seen her spill. _Thank goodness,_ she thought. But her worries were far from over.

Scratching his head, perturbed by Bo's usage of the word 'domestic (he wasn't sure what that word really meant), Luke thought hard about how to be helpful right then and there. Finally, he raised his chin in sudden revelation. "I know!" he said to Akari; "You can have my old axe if you want! It's perfect for learning!" Reaching into his red vest's pocket, he slid out a wooden handle and unsheathed a WHOLE entire axe.

Akari's eyes grew wide and her pale complexion returned. Her pulse quickened and her stomach dropped and quaked with cold anxiety. _He had... he has another axe?_ she thought;_ No–_

Holding the axe in hand, Luke's expression dimmed and his personality faded. His pupils contracted and his breathing stilled. Something about the kappa half-child overrode his conscience.

"H-hold on a second–" Akari sputtered, holding her hands up in alarm. Walking backwards, slowly, she prepared to run away. As soon as she moved, though, Luke raised the axe way up over his head– and with a murderous glint in his eyes.


	9. Bedside Manners

_'Kappa scare most humans. It can't be helped. But a kappa human...'_ the words of Akari's father resounded;_ 'is rejected.'_

_That's the law of nature,_ Akari thought. Humans had an innate sense that was always aware. Like other animals that kill their defective young, their instincts knew that a monstrosity such as herself should not live. For reasons beyond her understanding, this sense manifested itself when an axe was in a human hands.

Akari looked up at the axe gleaming in the noonday sun. Raised high above Luke's head, it slipped further and further back as it charged, moving slower than reality ensured. Was time suddenly moving slower because these were her last moments? Whether this was merciful prolonging or relentless torture– she wasn't sure.

_Mama... papa... If I die, I'll never see them again. Didn't I say that I had no regrets?_ Akari thought. But she had lied to herself. When she had left home, it wasn't by pure choice– it wasn't so that she could leave her parents in married bliss beneath the lake. She was kicked out. _Mama. You said I couldn't stay with you– not until I find true love, _she thought; _I wasn't too worried about it before, b__ut... now I know I'll never find it. There's no going back. Am I not strong enough?_

There wasn't enough time for Akari to cry– only enough time to become aware of the wooden handle gripped tightly in her hands. Her heart beat grew and pounded in her chest and her desperation rose. She was holding the hammer that Owen had given her.

Without reason, Akari remembered the stories her mother had told her– of how she had won over the kappa by braving the mines– of how she had obtained the mythic hammer technique. _That's right. I saw it many times,_ Akari remembered;_ I may not be strong enough to truly perform it, but I'll try–_

_Mythic level style–_

_Mama, lend me your strength!_

Flinging the hammer handle upwards, Akari caught it mid-air– spinning it in hand as Luke's glinting axe came down. With fiery intensity her hammer slammed forward, flashing with a golden flare.

"EYAAA-AHHH–" Their voices rang out, booming through the air– melding with the pierce of clashing metal.

_I won't die!_ Akari thought, her heels sliding back in the loamy earth. Heavily panting, she heaved her hammer's metal head sideways, yanking it out and parrying Luke's axe. The shriek of metal burned into their ears.

"No way," Bo said, stupefied by what he had just seen. _She stopped Luke's FINAL LEVEL axe technique,_ he thought;_ And with a LEVEL ONE hammer strike?_

Albeit stunned, Luke raised his axe back up and continued rushing forward with an incredible burst of energy.

Akari choked, wheezing for air and teetering on her feet. _I can barely stand up straight... But I did my best,_ she thought;_ I have no regrets now... Mama, I tried. But I'm so tired...  
><em>

"Luke, stop–" Bo yelled, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. "–Please! What are you trying to do? You're gonna kill her–"

Collapsing backwards, Akari covered her face and closed her eyes as the axe came down. _But I said I wouldn't die! _she remembered.

Once again Akari's ears pierced with the shriek of clashing metal. Feeling a large shadow cooling her skin, she looked up. Standing over her was Owen's familiar, muscly back. Holding his hammer one-handedly, he locked it with Luke's axe– breathing tensely as he leaned in to hold the weapon off.

"Luke, what are you doing?" Owen scolded. "This... isn't like you!"

Luke's eyes dilated and his mouth gaped open. He appeared to be regaining his normal consciousness. "Huh?" he gasped. His axe jolted from his hands as Owen slung it far away– spinning it off into the clearing where it slammed, blade first, into a tree trunk.

"What... what was I doing?" Luke muttered, trembling with his hands at his sides. A twinge of baffled fear quivered in his usually fierce eyes.

"Luke! I always knew you were crazy–" Bo jumped and raved. "But not THAT crazy."

"Akari," Owen said in concern, leaning over her. "Are you all right?" He bent down to help her up.

"Ye–" before she could answer, however, he had grabbed her waist and slung her up over his broad shoulders.

Having such a close and sudden look at Owen's muscles sent Akari past her limit and– in the process– made her forget about that fluids draining from her overturned noggin. Her vision blurred and everything went dark.

"Akari?"

She could feel warm blankets bundled on her chest and a pillow propping her head upright (and to a painful angle). Opening her eyes, she sat up, staring straight ahead and recognizing that she was in the clinic. Flinging her legs out over the side of the bed, she stopped when she saw Doctor Jin beside her. Holding a ceramic pot wrapped in a towel, his calm demeanor and silky hair was erased, instead replaced by frazzled bangs and a perturbed expression. How long had he been attending her?

"You regained consciousness?" Jin asked anxiously, surprised by this fact despite being a trained doctor. However, he was dealing with a half human, which was his normal expertise.

"I've been... unconscious?" Akari asked. "For how long?"

"For about five hours." Despite his previously frazzled appearance, his coolness returned. "It's evening now."

"Is that so?" Akari jumped out of bed. "I guess that's not too long."

Jin could've disagreed, though. He was a doctor, not a water bearer. Running back and forth for five hours, just to collect water from the lake for dumping on her had been extremely tiring. It had earned plenty of strange looks from the locals, too. Even Hayden, the local bartender, stopped to ask if he was filling up a special pool or bathtub.

"You can go home now," Jin exhaled. "You should go straight home and rest well today." He placed the ceramic pot on the edge of the night stand.

Looking down at the water-filled pot, Akari gulped in realization. So Jin was the one who had refilled her head when she first came to this island? _And now–_ her eyes widened at the thought– _again? _"You really do know everything, don't you?" she cried, holding her head in agony.

"Well I wouldn't say that. There's plenty of which I don't know. I had to pour through a plethora of folklore collections just to find out how to care for you."

"For this, I have to repay you–" Akari looked around frantically. "–I'll... I'll leave fresh fish on your doorstep every day! But first, promise me you won't tell anyone. If you do, I'll even double the fish amount!"

Folding his his arms, Jin gazed at her momentarily before shaking his head. "I figured this would happen." He adjusted his glasses. "But I don't want fish. I just want reassurance that you won't..." He froze, staring at the ground.

"Heh?" Akari emitted.

"According to what I've read about kappa eating habits, that you won't..." Jin glared at the ground. "That you won't feed on the islanders by siphoning through their an..." He paused. How was he going to put this? "That is... The ends of their digestive tracts." Though he was a doctor (and well acquainted with all the names and parts of the human body), he felt it was inappropriate to outright say anus. Especially to a girl at her bedside. At least he had SOME manners.

Akari's face flushed red in shame. "N-no, I'm not that kind of kappa!" she insisted, shaking her head; "I was born from a good kappa– dad never did anything like that to the villagers– so just NO. I don't even need to promise that I won't, I just NEVER do that!" She gulped when she realized what she had said.

"Ah. Is that so?" Jin noted. "Then I guess I don't need a special kappa pledge from you after all. It appears everyone is already safe from you... Well. There's other ways for you to repay your debt to me now."

Akari fell to the ground, leaning on her hands and knees– defeated. _I'm a Fail Kappa... _She sulked. Her dad had once told her that if a kappa needed to repay a debt, one could simply pledge to never again harm any nearby humans. Promising to behave was infinitely better than promising to be a slave.

"Lately, it's been hard for me to collect medicinal materials." Jin revealed. "I waste precious time hunting them down, and my time is such an important resource... So, you can collect them for me. It shouldn't be that big of a deal for you anyway, correct?"

Clenching her fingers against the cold, hard floor, Akari filled with resent. _Wait a minute..._ she thought;_ Are you saying that my time is worthless?_

"Ah. But that only covers one debt, doesn't it?" Jin held his chin. "Yes. You'll need to repay me in another way, since there's not enough herbs and roots on this island to keep me quiet about your... Well. You know." He smiled coldly.

_What's with that patronizing tone?_ Akari thought, grimacing. _And especially when he's dong something so illegal! ...What ever happened to 'patient confidentiality?' _The doctor was blackmailing her– and if she didn't know any better– she'd think that he was actually enjoying it.

"I understand," Akari muttered distantly, standing back up. "What can I do?"

"There is something," he said. "I am interested in your biology."

"What?" Akari rocked on her feet, growing increasingly mortified with each passing second.

"I know it sounds forward, but I wish to study you. Simply put, I want to see if there's anything to learn. Animals can also offer medical breakthroughs, especially rare ones like you."

"An animal, huh?" Akari trembled with unspeakable rage. "Right. I understand." _I'm used to this by now._

Jin never noticed her building grudge, he only kept speaking. Adjusting his glasses, he pulled the long black bangs from his eyes. "–Just think of it as a part time job," he told her. "Of course if you're uncomfortable with it, I can find something else–"

"-NO. THAT'S QUITE ALRIGHT." Akari glared at him with a painfully forced and unhinged smile. It was so intense, that it took him by surprise. "I'LL SEE YOU RIGHT AWAY– TOMORROW, EVEN." She stomped away, like a dinosaur.

"I'll... look forward to it." He watched her thump down the stairs. Moments later, a booming eruption shook the entire building.

Running down stairs, Jin found that the clinic door had been knocked off its door frame. Somehow, Akari's anger had gotten the best of her, so she had slammed it with super strength.

Irene, Jin's supposed grandmother, stared at him with cool eyes. Folding her arms behind her back, she learned over the clinic's front counter like an old crow. "Are you sure it's ok to play with such a creature?" she asked coyly. "You've gotten her quite upset. Why, I think she even hates you now."

Surveying the splintered door frame, Jin held his chin with poise. "If she wants to hate me, that's fine," he replied. "Then we'll have even more in common..."


	10. Cursed Accounts

Standing on the ridge of her farm, Akari listened to the roaring river below. Despite it now being a late night hour (later than last time), she still wasn't prepared to swim. If she ran into that fisherman again, she wouldn't know what to do.

It was difficult for Akari to understand– in the past, those who saw her fish scales would faint in terror. _But that man– even if he did almost drown– was fearless,_ she thought;_ What were his intentions?_ He had dropped his fishing pole to approach her– true– and he had said that he meant her no harm, but it was still possible that he was one of those scary gourmets who try to trap and eat _every _type of creature. Because in their minds, the rarer the creatures are, the greater the delicacy.

"No way! I can't be eaten," Akari gasped, shivering in fear. "Still... I have to watch my back. This island is full of formidable humans." Exasperated, she couldn't help but remember Luke's axe attack earlier, among other troubling things, such as Doctor Jin. The man had managed to see her true form, and twice, without freaking out and telling the whole town. _I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of impressed– even if he did only help me because of the benefits, _she thought; _I wonder..._ _What kind of person is he?_

"Probably," Akari continued aloud; "an emotionless man." Wearily, she dragged herself back across her field and entered her house. Inside, it was dark and quiet– the only sound was her shuffling feet and rumbling stomach. Hunger pains attacked whenever she stopped thinking, so she kept on musing all the way to her bed.

In truth, Akari wasn't all too bothered by the deals made with Jin _themselves_. He was right in that the tasks involved weren't terribly difficult for her– and for kappa– bargaining for leniency when mess-ups occurred was all a part of daily life. What actually bothered her was the dehumanizing way in which he had treated her– outright calling her an animal and all. Though her father always tolerated people calling him a 'beast', 'toad bump', ' or even a 'fat cucumber', Akari couldn't stand it! She felt that kappa had basic rights– the same ones that humans had– even if they had different appearances, morals and laws.

Secretly, in the back of Akari's mind, she wanted to find a way to get back at the doctor. However, this notion itself went dangerously against kappa ethics. _Well... I'll worry about this tomorrow,_ she decided, standing alongside her bed and letting out a massive yawn. So long was it, that it sounded as if her lungs were collapsing in on themselves! Standing near the head of her bed, and not once climbing into it, she closed her eyes and snored immediately. All while standing up, of course. It was her natural way of sleeping!

Birds trilled playfully and the river's hypnotic roaring lessened that next morning. Greeting the day with an encouraging shout, Akari ran outside to tend her potato crop– only to become perplexed when she found that only ONE sprout had popped up.

_That's odd..._ Akari thought, crouching to get a closer look. _I've been watering every spot... _Every day and quite diligently. _And I tilled the earth in a 3x3 square, standing in the middle to spread the seeds... Just like mama always did! How did I possibly mess up? _

| X | X | X |

| X | O | X | {Diagram: Outdated farming methods}

| X | X | X |

_I know! _Akari's eyes narrowed menacingly. _The harvest sprites must be playing tricks on me again! _

"Of course! Those evil little dillweeds," she swore, shaking her fist. "This is just like them and their cruel methods!" But if that was true, how did they ever manage to follow her? She left by boat, and secretly at that. There was no possible way they had followed her from Mineral Town, so was some other force at work? Holding her chin, she scrunched up her eyebrows and thought hard for a solution. In the midst of her pondering, however, she caught sight of something yellow sitting against her house. It was never there before.

It was a yellow gift box tied with pink ribbon.

Approaching it cautiously, Akari knelt and carefully lifted its lid. Inside the box was an axe and a handwritten note on paper that almost looked like an order form (with all its unlabeled checkboxes and tally lines, that is). Reading it, she was not surprised to see who it was from.

_Akari. This is Luke,_ the letter began, breaking its solemnity in the next few lines:_ I'm sorry! I know I freaked you out, and there's no good way to explain why I did what I did. It was totally random! It's like I was sleepwalking or something... Whoa! Just thinking about it is trippy! Maybe I've been eating way too many strange things off the ground in the forest... But anyways, I'm not trying to say that what I did wasn't my fault or anything, but... Well. It IS my fault, but I'm really sorry! _

Akari brought the note closer, puzzled by its sincerity and worry. Why was Luke apologizing to her, and so profusely? After all, she was the one who had made both his body and mind lose control. Most people would be far more concerned with themselves in such a situation.

_I really don't have a criminal record or anything,_ the note continued on; _well, except that one time when I deforested the forest... but I was a kid then! Axes are flippin' awesome! And that's why I'm re-giving you this axe. This time Owen's delivering it, so don't worry. I won't be creeping around your front door or anything. ... I swear!_

Turning the note over to see if there was any more, Akari chortled and fought back a smile. _I'm sure he's a nice person_, she thought, folding the note and tucking it away. _It's not his fault... being good with an axe is his job. Probably his calling, even. _

Taking the axe in hand, Akari stood up, looking at its clean yet worn wooden handle. It had definitely been well-loved.

_Luke and I... We two probably shouldn't meet again._

Finishing her chores, Akari hurried off down the hill to forage for herbs– today she would begin her servitude until her debt was paid.

* * *

><p>Sitting on a large stump, Luke exhaled deeply and hunched over his knees– totally ignoring the boxed lunch which sat beside him.<p>

"Come on. You need to eat," Bo said, looking up from his own boxed lunch. "You haven't even touched your food yet."

Sitting up slightly, Luke rubbed his face and held it. "I'm sorry, man," he said. "I'm just not very hungry today."

"Feel bad all you want, but you still need to eat."

"Luke!" a distant voice boomed. "Still moping around? It's like I told you before, you're not being yourself!" It was Owen leaving his grandfather's nearby smithery for the day. Instead of heading off to the mine, however, he was approaching the forest, presumably to scold Luke.

"Yeah. Stop being so depressing," Bo chimed in.

"Is it so wrong for me to feel BAD?" Luke blasted, waving his fists around. "After what I did to that guy, don't you think I need to reflect a little bit?"

"... Guy?" Bo questioned, confused.

Owen finally arrived at the stump, and just in time to overhear the two young men.

"Yeah! You know," Luke explained. "That Akari guy? The one I almost axed to bits?"

"Huh? What? Akari's not a guy! Where did you get THAT weird idea?"

"Well he can't be a girl! Didn't _you_ yourself say that he blocked MY super axe attack? That took REAL man strength, which he definitely had, even if he did faint and all."

"It seems Akari fainted just because of that," Owen commented, folding his arms. "Though I don't know how, she overexerted herself by half-wielding a Mythic Strike."

"Bah! _She_? Now you're saying it, too?" Luke complained. "Like I said, Akari's not a gir– wait, Mythic Strike? ...What's that?"

Owen closed his eyes for a moment in contemplation before answering. "Have you ever heard about cursed weapons and tools?" he asked, finally looking back at the two confused carpenters. "It seems you haven't... It's mostly a blacksmith's legend, but it is said that after a century's time, objects like axes or hammers become self-aware... and cursed."

"C-cursed?" Bo stammered, unnerved by the idea.

"Yes. Typically, if you come across a cursed tool and hold it... it will refuse to leave your hands– jealously consuming your original tool and eating your soul for ten days straight in the process..."

"Ten whole days?" Luke asked, incredulously. "What happens after that?"

"Either the tool progresses into its next stage of life..." Owen paused. "Or it kills its holder. If the holder can survive, though, cursed tools will eventually prove rewarding. By reforging its body with mystrile metal, it will grant its holder an invincible technique... Mythic style."

"Mythic style?" Luke repeated. "Are you trying to say that all this creepy tool stuff is REAL?"

"Not only real, but that Akari herself," Owen said; "has seen one in action long enough to know how to imitate its technique."

Wobbling his fair-haired head, Bo fell down on the stump alongside Luke, collapsing as if his knee caps had been blown off.

Suddenly concerned for his boxed lunch, Luke grabbed it up and gingerly held it. His fierce eyes flashed with dread and then inexplicably, excitement. "It all makes sense now," he said, looking down at the red box.

"_What_ makes sense?" Owen knew that even though Luke was a pretty simple guy, he had a very violent thought process and that seeing him filled with sudden excitement was always a bad sign.

Stuffing his WHOLE boxed lunch into his pocket, Luke jumped off the stump and slammed one foot up on it. "I know why I attacked Akari!" he said, raising a fist heavenwards. "It all makes sense now!"

"You just said that," Bo said.

"Yes, it all makes sense now– why I attacked Akari," Luke continued, rearranging his statement to make it sound new. "My conscience instinctively knew that he was a worthy rival. Deep inside, I knew that he could fight back... It was my sixth sense acting up!"

"Akari's a girl," Owen said; "I thought we discussed this."

Bo shook his head. "Luke, you know that your conscience is supposed to _stop_ you from doing bad things, right?" he said.

Ignoring them, Luke held his hands on his waist and threw back his head– laughing maniacally.

"Geez." Bo shook his head again. "At least he's feeling better."

"My work here is done, then." Owen smiled, turning around. "I'm going off to work now. Later, Bo."

"Later." Bo waved. Glancing aside, he suddenly jolted with realization. "Wait," he called out. "Owen."

The young man stopped. "Yes?" he asked.

"You said all that about Akari, but... How do _you_ yourself know what Mythic style looks like?"

"..." Owen's smiling face lapsed into an expressionless gaze. "I'm a blacksmith." He left it at that, turning back around and going straight to the mine.


	11. The Kingdom of Waffle

Gravel and dirt crunched underfoot as Akari pounded ahead, holding her breath to avoid inhaling in wafts of dust. The Gananche Mining District. Didn't she just tell herself she'd avoid Luke by staying away from this place?

_I guess I can't avoid being a troublemaker,_ she thought, carefully looking ahead. The forest clearing by the carpentry was probably the only place where she could find herbs today. Luke's mention of eating strange things off the ground in his letter reminded her of the colorful plants that she had seen growing there the other day.

_They looked a little different from what I'm used to, though_, Akari considered. In Mineral Town, where she came from, only small colored vines– called grass– grew. Her mother had taught her all the different ways to prepare them and all their different colors: blue, green, red, yellow, black, and so on. There were many different uses for them, but their healing and medicinal properties overshadowed all else.

Seeing Luke hanging around in the middle of the road ahead, just staring off towards the forest, caused Akari to jump. Having not expected to see him so soon, her heart jumped up and down, churning her empty stomach and filling her throat with what felt like acid bubbles. Turning back around, she hurried off to hide by the breezy mine entrance.

Was Luke always watching the forest? Was he going to walk down the street soon? Looking for somewhere to hide, Akari observed the cavernous mine and scurried inside. In a last effort to rethink her dwindling options, she remembered that her mother would sometimes find grass and roots in the local mine. It couldn't be much different here.

Hurrying along, watching her back despite knowing she was relatively safe, Akari paused when she saw a familiar muscled back rise from the hole in the ground before her. "Owen?" she asked, causing him to turn his head in regard.

"Akari!" Owen laughed, finally trudging away from the hole, which revealed a deep stairway carved in stone. "You're looking better, but is that any reason to explore the mines so soon?"

It took Akari a moment to remember what he was talking about, but when she remembered– it hit her like a lead brick. "That's right, you saved me the other day," she blurted. "I owe you now... For LIFE." She wanted to hold her head and scream in agony– but that would've been very rude.

"Don't worry about it." Owen laughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head.

"Impossible! I have to pay you back– you'll accept– I'll leave fresh fish on your doorstep every day– but if that's no good, it can be something else–" She was cut short when he leaned over her and patted her head, gently, as if she were a small child.

"I said not to worry about it," he insisted. "You're a funny one, aren't you?"

Akari gulped, frowning at the burning sensation spreading across her cheeks. Owen closed his eyes and smiled at her, pulling his hand away.

"There you are. You've finally realized how silly you sound," he said. "Seeing that face is worth a whole boatload of fish. You're terribly cute when you're flustered."

Akari choked, frowning back a whole smile which threatened to stupefy her face. _Cute? _How could such a simple word bewilder her this much? Cute. Whenever her mother called her it, she was simply happy. Being called cute by _him_, however, made her entire brain boil down into strawberry jam.

Owen shook his head at her. "Geez... Guys will bully you at this rate. Now I'm worried," he sighed, slinging his hammer over his shoulder and stepping back down the stairs. "Let me know if you're ever in trouble again, ok?"

"T-that," Akari answered, instinctively taking up his offer.

"Hm?"

As soon as Akari saw his clueless face, however, she realized how unreasonable it was to tell him about her Jin problems. Being half kappa, and in secret, she had to deal with it alone. "Do things– I mean," she stammered, changing the subject; "do any plants grow inside the mine?"

"All kinds." Owen nodded. "Follow me."

* * *

><p>"You've written a diary page for at least every day, correct?" Jin asked, marking a checklist on his clipboard. On the edge of the cot before him sat Gill, who was sulking affectedly and staring out the window of Meringue Clinic.<p>

"At _least_," Gill answered finally. He clutched his green, leather-bound diary to his chest.

"Still staying at the Town Hall past seven?" Jin asked.

Gill jolted slightly but then huffed. "Work needs to be done. Somebody has to do it," he answered.

"What have I told you about overworking yourself, Mr. Shadow _Mayor_?" Jin said, hiding behind his clipboard. "I know that it sometimes feels like you will... but you won't live forever. You need to take care of your health to live a long life."

"It's just a LITTLE extra work," Gill argued. "I don't see what the big deal is. I've been doing this for years and my physical health is just fine."

"You and I both know that the Town Hall, being such an old building, is musty and debilitating. Its temperature fluctuates throughout the day and gets its maintainers sick. If you _must_ keep working, bring it home."

Thinking about his departed mother, Gill considered Jin's suggestion for a few moments, but then spaced out. At last, he shook from his reverie. "I'll try," he assured the doctor.

"Now for your sample diary page," Jin said, setting his clipboard on his lap and holding his hand out to Gill. "Then we'll conclude your visit early."

Glancing aside, Gill fidgeted, frowning and holding his diary close with an iron grip. "I don't have a sample page this time," he said stubbornly.

"Gill. This part of our visit should come as no surprise to you," Jin said, sternly adjusting his glasses. "Were you fibbing when you said you've been writing?"

"No! It's just I–" Gill stopped, looking down at his own shoes. "I guess I should keep a second diary for these kinds of things..."

"Something personal?" Jin stood up, setting his clipboard down on the chair behind him.

"Huh? What are you–"

Jin wrenched his fingers between Gill's chest and the leather-bound diary– yanking it away in a single movement. "I will now read one page," Jin announced clinically, cracking the book open to somewhere in the middle. He quickly flipped a few pages until he found the most recent entry.

Gill opened his mouth to scream but got distracted by the page on which the doctor had stopped.

"..." Jin read the diary entry quietly. Because of the diary's amusing nature, it was always a struggle to read it with an objective mind. Gill's entries, all of them, were written in third-person as fairy tale narratives. That meant, to any other person, the diary would seem to be a short collection of such stories. In truth, they were wild and exaggerated retellings of Gill's daily life.

It was almost impossible to pick out the fact from the fantasy.

In Gill's stories, there were reoccurring characters coinciding with each person on the island. Noticeably, Mayor Hamilton was the king and Gill was the prince.

Jin himself was the wizard. He coughed into his hand and kept reading; he didn't want to admit it, but he was curious as to whom Akari would be:

_On the first day of the first season, a cold and violent wind rocked the seas around the Kingdom of Waffle. On a foaming white wave washed ashore a strange creature. _

_This creature, as the storm cleared, dried in the sun and turned into a woman. Thirsty and searching for fresh water, she crawled onto the Royal Navy's docks and fainted. The Port Admiral, taking pity on her, brought her to the tavern to recover... Little did the kingdom know her true identity– a kappa hungry for human life and liver._

The story continued on that page, up until the point where the kappa met and fell in love with the prince at first sight. Silently, with much restraint, Jin stopped reading and handed the diary back to Gill, questions running through both their minds.

"...What did you think?" Gill finally asked, stepping beyond his fear of sharing.

"I think," Jin spoke, harsh and concisely; "That the prince should stay away from the kappa... or else he'll be cursed."


	12. Believing in a Kappa

The hoe almost jumped out of Akari's hands when she struck the stone ground with it. Vibrating, it sent a sprawling numbness throughout her arms and alerted her that the mine's solid rock ground was NOT for digging around in.

_How am I supposed to find herbs and roots this way?_ Akari wondered, hunching forward and huffing in exhaustion. Looking down, she noticed a red and white spotted toadstool sitting at her feet. Had it always been there? When she looked around the mine she found even more growing between spaces in boulders and the walls. Those bright red caps looked awfully familiar...

"See what I mean?" Owen boasted, nodding his head. "Plenty of plants!"

Akari knew that toadstools weren't plants (being that they were fungi) but she didn't want to put him down (since she thought he was simply wonderful). "Thank you," she said, quickly gathering them. "This is perfect..." She had a sudden, marvelous idea.

* * *

><p>"It's a funny coincidence... how accurate his fables are," Irene said, pouring two teacups on the edge of Jin's desk. "It's like that boy has an extra sense." Pouring their hot drinks, the old woman set the teapot down and arranged a spoon and honey jar beside it.<p>

Jin took his tea plain, staring hesitantly into it– as if he suspected it of something. "Yes," he said at last. "This isn't the first time that Gill has written very amusing things."

"Hm. Very amusing." Irene stirred her tea with honey and then took a sip. "Just as amusing as the wizard's concerned warning to the prince about the kappa... That is, if it WAS a concerned warning. Wizards know a great deal about curses themselves, so it could've been a threat..."

Jin ignored her. He didn't care if his warning to Gill earlier was too subtle or not subtle enough; he had simply wanted him to stay out of Akari's business.

Afterwards, the boy appeared appropriately confused, but he was so stubborn that he declared that his 'story unfolds by itself.' As if he had no control over writing it. As if he didn't fabricate most of its details.

At least the boy didn't acknowledge that Akari was a kappa FOR REAL. If he had, however, he probably would've kicked Akari off the island instead of writing such silly drivel.

Jin huffed crossly. The kappa, in love with the prince? _That's just ridiculous_, he thought. So ridiculous, that he didn't want to think about it anymore. Akari was far too awkward and naive for such things. Gill had clearly made a mistake.

Or did Gill only write that because he felt that way about her?...

Jin chugged his teacup empty and slammed it down on his desk. "Where is that girl?" he asked emotionlessly. So emotionlessly, that he ended up sounding strained and somewhat angry– at least to Irene, who knew him all too well.

"Girl? You mean Akari?" the old woman asked. "Are you worried about her?"

"No. Of course not." Jin stood up and grabbed his clipboard. "I just want to see if a kappa really keeps its word. The promises they make are supposed to be 'magically unbreakable'. Absurd. How does that even work? I'm just curious."

Irene chortled lowly. "It's been years since I've seen you _this_ curious about a girl."

Before Jin could protest, the clinic's front door scraped and creaked open. Smiling wisely, Irene took her tea and hurried away to tend the front register.

As soon as Jin heard Akari's voice, he lowered his head and closely observed his clipboard. He found a blank patient sheet (since he'd already put away Gill's) but he didn't want to appear as if he had been WAITING for Akari or anything. _No good. I need to write something, _he thought, taking out a pen and checking random boxes– filling in the sheet. He did this for some time, even after Akari entered to room and stood before him, holding her rucksack and frowning like a punished child.

Yes, the doctor continued to act VERY busy, just for the sake of being annoying.

At last, the girl decided to speak. "You wanted me to gather medicinal materials, right?" she asked, peeking furtively into her bag.

"I did," Jin responded, bringing his clipboard down. He watched the girl pull out a horrendously red mushroom. Lifting it up, she placed it on top of his clipboard. She placed another. And then another. Soon, a small mountain of ugly mushrooms were stacked precariously before him.

"I picked a lot of them," Akari said with a forced, irritated smile; "so that YOU could have enough for **yourself**."

Jin observed the mushrooms with not a smile nor a scowl. "Thank you." He accepted them.

Akari watched him expectantly, but frowned in disappointment when he took them to his desk without any signs of disturbance. He carefully put them away.

_What... what is this? _Akari wrung her hands, confused by Jin's neutral acceptance. These toadstools, or poisonous mushrooms as they were sometimes called– were infamous for being the most hateful and offensive gift to ever give or receive. Even though they had secret medicinal properties, they were incredibly difficult to prepare, making them practically useless.

No common doctor would ever be able to process such toadstools into medicine.

_So why did you thank me?_ Akari wondered, frowning at Jin's back._ I just insulted you!_ _Did I make a mistake? ...Are customs different here on Waffle Island?_

"You came here rather late," Jin said at last. "The clinic's about to close, so you should probably go home for the day."

"Huh?" Akari blinked. "That's all for today?" No electroshock therapy or pricking her with needles? He wasn't going to carry out some kind of REVENGE research?

"Yes," he said, still facing his desk– standing over it– apparently engrossed with writing something. "But please come earlier tomorrow. It's fine if you bring only one thing... so you don't take too long. Don't overwork yourself."

Akari left the clinic, wide-eyed and bewildered. _What just happened? s_he wondered. The door locked shut behind her. This wasn't what she had been expecting at all.

After a few more moments of startled recollection, Akari was able to formulate her discomfort into words. "Why was he," she stammered; "why was he being so NICE?...!" Worrying intensely, she wobbled all the way back home. Had she misjudged his character?

At his desk, Jin sat, glaring down at the poisonous mushrooms– intensely.

"She really _does_ hate you," Irene remarked, hovering over his shoulders. "It's kind of cute, actually. Such an old-fashioned ritual... Why, I gave toadstools to MY enemies when I was a young girl. It was the perfect way to say 'eat poison and die.' Ah, youth."

Holding his forehead, Jin snorted and choked– as if holding something back– until at last he exploded with amused laughter. Throwing back his head, he cackled at the ceiling. "She got me," he said shortly, struggling to regain composure.

Irene, being surprised by his unexpected burst of mirth, beheld him steadily. "It's been a long time since I've seen you laugh like that," she said.

"Yes, well... That girl said, 'I picked a lot, so that you could have enough for yourself.' Do you know what these are used for?" Jin held up a toadstool. "Do you? I make Gill's medication from these. A psychoactive drug."

Irene shook her head. "I don't think she knew THAT. You're reading into this too much."

"No. Any normal girl would've brought me herbs," Jin said, standing up and yanking his cabinet open. "She knew exactly what she was doing. And if kappa lore is correct, she knows even more about medicine."

Not saying anything, Irene watched him work. Putting away supplies, Jin straightened up his desk and threw the scribbled-on patient sheet in the garbage. Somehow, he had acquired a great deal of energy, and for a moment, he was the hyperactive boy that he once was– the young man who had searched and found the desert flower. Full of hope. Rushing home under the belief that he could cure death. The young man who was tricked by his sister– to live a hundred years instead.

Her eyes dimmed. Any consolation that the doctor found was always short lived. But there was still hope for him to find happiness again...

Irene wondered: _Is it foolish to believe in a kappa?_

* * *

><p><strong>Where the heck is this story going? Who is Akari going to end up with? <strong>

**(Probably EVERYBODY.)**


	13. Monkey Business

With a splash, Akari dunked her face into the river, gulping down mouthfuls of cool water like breaths of fresh air. _Ah, I'm still really thirsty, _she thought, yanking her head back out and wiping her mouth dry– she wiped until all her soaked scales had gone down and vanished.

A looming darkness moved behind Akari, causing her to jump and look. When she focused, however, she saw nothing but her own shadow. She wanted to swim right now, more than anything– but she still felt as if another stranger would appear and see her exposed. Afraid to make a noise, she leaned forward and stared nervously into the water.

The sky and the river were a murky night blue, and the buttery moon, on its way to fullness, showcased brightly on the river with a streaming tail of white light. Reminding her of a tale she had once been told, its memory dropped a sad pain in Akari's chest.

_'Long ago_,' her mother had once told her– years ago when Akari was a little girl;_ 'there were monkeys who saw the moon's reflection on a pond. One monkey, leaning forward from a tree branch, touched the water only to see the reflection wriggle and fade. He blamed his luck for not being able to capture the moon and so left to never try again.'_

That was how the first part of her mom's tale went. The first monkey tried to touch the moon and grew disheartened when he failed. Even if Akari disliked the whole story, she favored this part the most.

_'The next monkey to see the moon's reflection fell into a deep panic. __Fearing that the admirable moon was drowning– he hung from the branch and tried to save it. The branch broke, however, and the monkey fell into the water. Even as he was drowning, he never gave up trying to reach the moon– he kept grabbing at the shining water which slipped through his little monkey fingers.'_

It was not fair! Akari had cried for that monkey. That's why her mother waited until she was much older before telling her the final part. Yes, she didn't tell Akari the last part of the story until that final night at Mineral Town– when they had parted from each other at the Kappa Lake.

That was the night when the woman– to escape her illness– had joined her kappa husband in the lake forever... And that was the night when Akari was sent out into the world alone.

On that night, which seemed an eternity ago to Akari, her mom had stepped into the glowing, rippling water– and had stopped. _'Finally, a monkey chief saw the moon on the water,'_ the woman had said all of a sudden; _'He was panicked, just like the last monkey– however– he was also an arrogant fool. He believed that the world would end if he allowed the great moon to drown before him.' _When she spoke, it was with a sense of detachment and maternal distance.

It took Akari awhile to even remember what her mom was talking about, but memories of the monkey tale soon came rushing back to her beneath the dark sky.

The woman had slipped further into the water– up to her waist– and her long blonde hair had fanned out and drifted around her. A darker blue seeped into her denim overalls and the glowing water began to hum. She was now entering the kappa's realm, and without giving her daughter a proper and sensible goodbye.

When Akari tried to reach out for an embrace from her mother– the woman smacked away her hands and continued the story instead:

_'The lower tree branch had perished with the last monkey, so the chief had one last option... to hang down from a higher branch. His tail alone wasn't long enough so he called his monkey clan. They all joined tails– hanging down over the water like a great monkey chain... But all their weight on that one branch made it snap and break. Shrieking, the monkeys fell into the water and drowned... __Answer yourself only, and wonder, Akari... which monkey did you like the best?'_

Disturbed by her mother's odd behavior, Akari had forced herself to think quickly. She disliked the last monkey– a terrible leader. In her mind, she liked the first monkey– just because he survived. In her heart, however, she loved the second monkey.

The second monkey was passionate and tried his best.

'_But they were all just stupid monkeys_,' Akari's mother had scoffed, almost as if she could read the girl's thoughts. _'If they had only looked up, they would've seen that the moon was safe and sound in the sky... from them. Love is... a lot like that... as you'll soon realize... It's an important lesson. That's why... you must leave this place and find true love. Don't come back until you do, or I'll never speak to you again.'  
><em>

In an instant, the woman was gone– swallowed up by the gurgling water. After that, though, Akari's father– the kappa– appeared to hug his daughter and briefly bid her farewell (and to give her bottles to fill with water so she could survive her journey to Waffle Island).

But that remained the last real communication that Akari ever had with her mother... A weird butt monkey story.

Akari pulled from her memories and settled back into reality. Mineral Town was far away now and she'd probably never see her mother or father again. "It's fine," she insisted, pulling her knees close and mumbling into them. "I have a house and land. I could live this way forever." Her mother's demand to 'find true love,' combined with the strange monkey story, was only making her sloshy little head even more confused.

Everything that had happened to Akari ever since she came to Waffle Island (all the places she had seen and the people she had met) made her heart race whenever she thought about them. _'True love makes your heart race, but it also makes it calm.' _That was also something her mother had once told her.

"Grr!" Akari rocketed to her feet. "You always said WEIRD things, mama," she yelled across the river. "No wonder I'm so weird!" Even if her mother wasn't here, she still liked blaming her.

"Eep?" a falsetto voice echoed from across the burbling water. It sounded confused, perhaps even intimidated.

"Huh?" Akari looked. On the distant bank she saw a short figure with two furry arms and legs. "A monkey?" she said, shocked.

"Ee-ee-ee–" the monkey whooped and cried, slinging its arms around before falling into the river with a tumultuous "SPLASH."

"Nooo–" Akari cried in horror, holding onto her trembling face. "Come back, little monkey! Don't drown!" Quickly checking her surroundings, she dove into the water– kicking her feet forcefully as her boots became heavy and filled with water.

_Is it true?_ Akari wondered in alarm. _Do monkeys really drown? Why can't they swim? _Didn't they like bathing in hot springs during the winter? She always heard that they did.

Monkeys made no sense.

(I remember you,) the monkey's falsetto voice rung in her ears. (You're the one who claimed me!)

_Huh?_ Akari thought. _It's speaking to me?_

(Well, yeah,) he answered. (Get it? Well?)

_...Huh?_ Had she missed him make a quick joke? He had only just spoken to her! And why was he able to speak to her underwater, of all impossible things? Actually, neither of them had really spoken a word yet, but the question remained.

(Silly girl. I'm a spirit, kinda like you. I was once a mountain spirit, but I underwent a career change awhile back 'cause of an accident...)

_So it can hear my thoughts?_ Akari wondered, straining her stinging eyes to try and see him. She saw shining slivers moving in the water– but they were just fish.

(Yes. Right now, you're thinking, 'so it can hear my thoughts.' Right? Also, I'm a 'he' not an 'it.' Don't get any weird ideas, though. You can't marry me like your mom married that kappa!)

_He knows about that?_ Akari thought, remembering all the times she spent reminiscing about her troubles by the water. Had this spirit eavesdropped on her during those times? _Just who are you? _she demanded, incensed.

(Ee-ee-ee! Who am I?) he taunted. (Here's a riddle: I like to hide and run around, warming myself before jumping out. I'm all over the island, I make cold hot, but I sit and stay in just one spot.)

_Er,_ Akari pondered this riddle seriously, floating backwards in the current. The monkey spirit's description immediately reminded her of the warmth of daytime after the coldness of night._ Are you the sunshine? _she asked.

(Stupid!) he rebuked, much to Akari's anger. (Humans have no wit! Stupid! Meet me beyond the falls when you're tired, dumb girl! That's your one and only hint!)

At that, Akari saw the long-armed monkey swimming before her, swirling in a vortex before vanishing in a burst of bubbles– her anger temporarily dissolved along with them.

That night, Akari barely slept. _Something hot that likes to hide... _she thought. _But what does the cold have to do with it? He didn't give me very many details to go by... Grr, I'm not a dumb girl, he's just a stupid monkey! _When Akari woke up that morning, she was bleary eyed and drowsy. _What the heck DID that riddle mean?_

"Hm! I won't worry about it," Akari said, stomping out her front door and checking on her potato plant. It had grown crisp fleshy leaves and was looking quite impressive– despite being the ONLY one. Upon closer inspection, she found a potato popping out of the ground beneath it– which she pulled and tucked into her rucksack. For a moment, she actually felt accomplished.

"No. This is no time to be proud," Akari said, smacking her face. "I need more seeds... I can't be a real farmer with only ONE plant." At this thought, she felt very embarrassed. Her mother used to grow about a hundred crops at one time; twirling her watering can way up high, its mystrile metal would gleam like the sun and seemingly summon a rainfall to drench their large field.

Akari, standing between the tall crops, used to face the sky and try to taste the droplets. In those days, she would only ever sit and watch her mother work– she was just too weak. As her mother once put it, _'Just pulling honey from the tree makes you faint.'_

"Why... why am I so weak?" Akari said in contemplation, feeling great angst that came out from NOWHERE. Finishing her chore of smashing rocks and re-hoeing the dirt in preparation for more seeds– and also weeding around it– she took off down the road, significantly robbed of energy. It was ridiculous! She could barely keep her drained head upright.

Along the way, Akari managed to perk herself up with some thoughts of Owen and the stolen memory of his face. He had been extremely kind to her– kinder than any guy she had ever met– and he had even called her cute. She just wasn't used to such things. The thought made her face burn red with anxiousness. She wanted to see him again!

Owen– who was very tall and muscular– made Akari feel different. When she was next to him, she absorbed his shining aura and felt her femininity measurably increase. "It must be because... when a small object is next to a larger object... the small object will look even smaller," she considered, cupping her hands together. "The same thing works with people..." Not liking these selfish thoughts, she stopped and shook them away– along with about an ounce of water. It splashed right out from her head without her even knowing!

_What am I thinking? Do I like Owen for such frivolous reasons? _Akari wondered, depressing herself once again. Without even knowing it, she had walked into Waffle Town. This was a mistake, as she hadn't gathered anything for Jin yet.

_This is no good!_ Akari panicked. _Maybe I can trick him with a fake..._ Quickly hopping a fence and assaulting a roadside tree, she plucked a leaf from it. Staring at the leaf– cheerfully at first, and then with a slowly forming frown– she cried out in pain and threw it aside. It was inherently wrong to trick somebody after making a deal with them. Not that she could do any tricks with a leaf; she was half kappa, not half tanuki!

Glancing out at the beach, Akari's hopes bloomed when she suddenly saw it: a green, heart-shaped plant was sticking up from the cobblers between the sand and the road's edge. Without seeing anything else, or anyone else, she ran for it– never noticing the familiar wide-brimmed hat peeking on the horizon.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks again for reading (and reviewing)!<strong>

**Folklore stuff:  
><strong>

**Tanuki- Japanese raccoon dog... things... who play tricks on people with transformation magic.**

**The monkey story- different variations of an old parable called Enkou Sokugetsu. What the heck was her mom trying to say about it? Crazy lady!  
><strong>


	14. Catch of the Day

There was the herb and only the herb; for a moment, Akari forgot all about the sunny streets of Waffle Town and even the droning crash from the nearby ocean waves. With a quick tug, the whole herb pulled up clean from the curb. Not even its roots were intact. Akari stared at it dreamily. _There. Jin's chore is done for today, _she thought, stuffing the green herb away.

Though Akari's mother had taught her all about Mineral Town's colored grasses, her father had taught her about exotic plants and mushrooms from all over. Being a water spirit, he knew much about the natural life nourished by his lake and beyond; oftentimes, he would explain how his lake's realm went deep underground, reaching into other bodies of water and even other towns.

_Water doesn't just stay on the surface,_ Akari remembered; _It runs deep underground. _With a murmur of speculation, she remembered the monkey's riddle: '_I like to hide and run around.'_

"Run?" she repeated to herself, realizing that the monkey was certainly a water spirit– and possibly the spirit of Caramel River. At this, a whole new (horrible) realization dawned upon her. "Wait, did I make a mistake?" Feeling queasy and horrified, Akari knelt on the roadside and held her face. _That's right. That monkey mentioned how I had 'claimed' him. Papa told me to claim a body of water, but... I ended up claiming a water spirit instead? _

"I kissed a MONKEY?" Akari yelled, writhing in agony and regret. _Is this even supposed to happen?_ she wondered;_ Did I fail again? _Whimpering and fighting back stinging tears, she raised her head– only to find a young man standing before her on the sand, and silently regarding her:

"..."

Never did his face move nor his body twitch– he simply stared at her (though it was impossible to tell how. His eyes weren't even open)!

If Akari held any doubts or reservations about his identity, they were yanked away by the fishing pole in his hand. This young man– with his white tousled hair and straw hat hanging off his shoulders– was none other than the fisherman who had seen her kappa form the other night.

Akari stayed very still, steeping in the awful reality that he likely recognized her. It was certain that she was incapable of any real magic, but she tried to summon some anyway. She concentrated. Abandoning her humanity, she tried to morph– to blend in with the roadside– to become a green herb.

Slowly, the young man raised his limp hand– almost as if he had just learned how to. "Hello," he greeted. "I've never seen you before." He tilted his head. "Are you sightseeing?"

Choking in agitation, Akari suppressed a scream. Yes, when meeting someone properly, screaming at them would be very rude. That's why she shook her head instead. It seemed her transformation into a green herb had failed. Well of course it did, she was half kappa, not half tanuki.

"No. I just moved here. My name's Akari, I'm a farmer," the girl quietly answered. _Did I say too much? _Standing up, she stepped off the roadside and walked down into the sand. If the fisherman didn't recognize her thus far, she figured that it was still important to be polite to him– even if he was scary. And if she acted normally, it would help dispel any of his suspicions!

"Name's Toby. This is a nice place," he said, attempting to sooth the awkward silence between them. "There's tons of fishing spots around here, and the weather's usually perfect for napping under the trees."

"Fishing?" Akari said, slightly disturbed by the spacey quality of his voice. It was like he was a Buddhist monk or even a seminarist for some new age religion– a religion that celebrated FISH.

"I love fishing." Toby began waving his arms around. Somehow, he appeared calm even while moving around so frantically. "I can't imagine making a living any other way."

_So it's just his job?_ Akari wondered. She wasn't sure if this was any better or worse than him simply being obsessed with fish. If he saw her kappa form again, would he try stuffing her into a shipping bin?

"Do you like fishing?" he asked suddenly, dropping his arms at his sides. Even if his eyes weren't open, she could tell that he was firmly looking at her.

_What do I say? _Akari wondered, increasingly alarmed. If she could sweat, she surely would've done so. Instead, she held her chin and trembled, splashing droplets from her water-filled nob. _If I say yes, is that suspicious? If I say no, is that also suspicious? _She didn't understand that taking so long to answer him was even MORE suspicious.

"Do I ever!" Akari finally blurted, forcing her mouth's corners to rise. It was such an unnatural smile.

For a brief moment, Toby opened his eyes, revealing his yellow-green eyes– but only somewhat. They were sharp and sly, like a cat's. One would even say they were indecent. _This girl,_ he thought;_ And that mysterious mermaid from the other night..._ He considered all the coincidences: short brown hair, same height, and they both appeared only recently. In addition to that, this new farmer was living by the river (if town gossip was correct).

In light of all the incriminating evidence, however, there was only ONE true way to tell if Akari and that mermaid were one and the same.

"That's great!" Toby answered, overjoyed by her answer but still distracted by his plan. With slow and precise movements, he reeled the fishing rod's line short, tilted it and held it out at Akari. Gently, he maneuvered the hook without her noticing. "Let me give you this fishing rod."

Surprised, Akari carefully took hold of its tapered end (since that was the end that she had been offered). _A gift?_ she thought, caught off-guard and somewhat touched._ Maybe he's... not so bad. _"Thanks," she said appreciatively.

But after holding her end of the fishing rod for some time, Akari filled with confusion. For some reason, Toby refused to let go of it. Did he not want to part with it after all? Puzzled, and not wanting to be intrusive, Akari let go of the rod and started to back away. "Eh, why are you–" Before she could ask him ANYTHING, her shirt lifted up– all by itself. _MAGIC?_ she thought, chilled with fright at the supernatural phenomenon. (Though maybe it was just the breeze.)

"Oh, sorry. I forgot to say something," Toby said. "The hook got caught in your shirt." He looked at her exposed chest. "Heart print?" She was not wearing the bra he had expected. _Maybe she changed it?_ he thought. Where was the frog print? This was not the evidence he needed!

Red-eared, red-faced and generally burning with humiliation, Akari trembled, yanked her shirt down, turned around, and ran off down the street without another word. A scream lingered in the back of her throat and she fought back tears the whole entire way. She was too mortified to be angry. _How could this happen again?_ she agonized. _And with the same person, too?_ She bit her lips until they bled.

Holding her face (and shaking her head at her foolish trustfulness), Akari failed to notice the fishing rod still hooked onto her shirt and dragging behind her– following her. For an unexplainable reason, she ran and ducked into Meringue Clinic, where she finally noticed the rod as it got stuck on the porch rails behind her. Tugging and dragging it in, she clicked the door shut and so cooled down– composing herself in the lobby.

Perhaps she came to the clinic because Jin's cold and unemotional outlook was reassuring in such a moment. Maybe it was because she felt safer with him than with Toby– the lesser of two evils. Or maybe it was just because his clinic was air-conditioned.

Irene, perched behind the front counter, looked up when she saw Akari. "Good afternoon, my dear," the old woman said. "You're here early."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh Toby. That underwear gag never gets old.<br>**


	15. You're No Doctor!

With impatient fingers, Akari struggled to loosen the fishing hook embedded in her green shirt. Fumbling with the stubborn barb, she grumbled, its connected fishing rod jolting beside her on the hospital bed.

"You should just cut the line," Jin said, hovering over her with a pair of bandage scissors. "That will make it easier to remove."

Akari lifted her chin and glared at him. She didn't look angry per say, but displeased and maybe a little bit defeated.

"Will you still not tell me what happened?" Jin pestered her further. After seeing the girl plod into his office with a WHOLE fishing rod dragging behind her, his curiosity had been piqued.

After some deliberation, Akari finally spoke. "Yes. I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled, looking back down. Just a brief mention of her troubles made her cheeks redden and her eyes water– forcing her to do a great deal of squinting and blinking. A small hiccup escaped her throat. "Now onto business," she managed out.

Why did Akari not want to complain at him? Everyone in town– even those who vested no faith in Jin as a doctor– always came to vent to him (relying on him as a therapist instead). But now that this girl was here, she didn't want to say anything about herself. Even if she clearly wanted to cry and complain, she didn't let anything out. She had come here for her job and that was all.

_Does she really hate me that much?_ Jin wondered. Inexplicably rattled, he grabbed the fishing line and clipped it away– and as soon as Akari was free from the rod, he slung it to the floor. Snatching a cot pillow, he fluffed it violently before propping it behind her. "You sit here and rest," he commanded, adjusting his glasses. "Behave while I do my work. I'll deal with you later."

Infuriated by this demand to wait for him, Akari did the exact opposite and stood up. Reaching into her rucksack, she pulled out the collected herb from earlier and threw it at his face. "Here, as you requested," she snapped. "A GIFT for you."

Putting it away, he smiled amusedly at her antics. "Why, thank you," he said. "This is quite an excellent gift."

"I hope you need it soon," she said with ill will. Ready to march away, she frowned when his hands snatched her face and lifted it towards his. Threatened by this at first, she nearly yelped, but stopped in alarm when his cold fingers slipped behind her ears. "W-what," she blurted, confused by his touch; "What are you doing?" To her horror, it felt good.

"I never wish bad health on anyone," he said; "Neither should you... This will calm you down so you can reflect on what you just said." Despite his serious manner, he was scratching behind her ears– like she was some sort of pet.

Akari quickly yanked away. His touch burned into her neck and chest, soothing her like a sedative. _Did he attack a pressure point? _she wondered, frightened by the sensation._ Did he rub poison on me?_ She didn't know what it was– only that it was worrisome, even demeaning. "You? Calm me? You... you stress me out," she forcefully stammered; "And in truth, you make me sick. Really... Hurry up and vivisect me so I can go!"

Her blunt, distrustful words– which surprised Jin with their fast delivery– sliced through his chest and cut his humor loose. It had been so long since he had felt this shaken. Was it even possible? For almost a century, he held onto the belief that his emotions had died with his love... But now something was reconnecting inside.

"I think you're confused," Jin said, taken aback. "I had no intentions of prying you apart with pins and a scalpel. I'm hurt that you actually thought that."

Akari surprised him even further. With rueful eyes, she drooped her shoulders and stared at her feet. "I'm sorry," she said– all of her bitterness instantly hiding away inside her troubled heart. "I'm really angry right now... Probably– about everything else... So don't take it personally. I'll work it out."

Jin wanted to ask her what she meant, but there was no way she would discuss anything private with him now– not after the way he had been treating her. He couldn't understand it himself, but he wanted to press and provoke her into explaining everything– into telling him all her thoughts and secrets. Against all reason, he wanted to see her cry. He wanted her to rely on him.

If Akari had only followed his advice about living a healthy life– she would've stayed away from him and this would've never happened.

"Right. It seems your fragile constitution can only handle so much a day," Jin announced; "so I'll deal with you right now. Go ahead and take a seat. I'll then begin the research."

Fighting back a scowl, Akari parked her bottom down on the cot. Despite her original aggravation's power, her curiosity invaded and won. If Jin wasn't going to cut her open, just what was his research going to be like?

"I'm going to ask you something specific and you'll answer truthfully. You ready?" he asked.

She nodded her head, gulping but furrowing her eyebrows in determination.

"Tell me," he ordered; "has anyone else on this island... seen your true form?"

Akari held off from answering right away. _Is this really the 'research'?_ she wondered;_ Or is he making fun of me yet again? _She didn't want to tell him anything, but her mouth was already opening all by itself. Kappa couldn't go back on their word. What would happen if they ever did? "Yes," she squeaked, her eyes quivering so much that she became dizzy.

"Who?" he interrogated further, already fearing that he'd hear Gill's name.

"That. That person who had seen me– I mean, the other person–" Akari kept taking back and reforming her sentences. In no way did she want to mention that fisherman's name! If she did, it would make her relive the shame (especially of her tacky underwear choices). But that was a trivial matter and she couldn't hold it off forever. "The other person who has seen my true form is none other than," she blurted and paused; "Toby."

Significantly startled, Jin jumped back as if he had been poked in the ribs. _Toby? _Jin couldn't believe it. _Well... it does explain the fishing rod._ Actually, this was one of those rare situations that made complete sense despite being so odd. Jin didn't he even need to ask Akari for details, he already had the gist of what had happened.

"Is that so? It's barely been a week and you're already in so much trouble," Jin scolded, grabbing her ears and tugging them as if she were a child.

"Ow, ow–" Akari yelled.

"How did you ever manage to survive all these years?"

"Ow, ah, stop that!" she shouted; "You... You're no doctor!" Before she could burst into tears of rage, he let go of her ears.

"That's all for today," he said, walking away. "Straighten those binders up there." He pointed at his cabinet. "And then go talk to Irene for your pay."

"Pay?" Akari said. She could hardly believe it. He was paying her just so he could torment her?

"And Akari," he said, stopping. "You're to come to me when you're in trouble. Understood?"


	16. Springtime

"Good afternoon," Toby finally said, standing before the Town Hall's reception counter. He had been loitering there, hands at his sides, for the past twenty minutes– greatly perturbing Gill.

"Oh, yes, good afternoon to you too, Mr. Toby," Elli sang, cheerfully but in a preoccupied manner since she was busy preparing news manuscripts. Humming softly, she didn't seem bothered AT ALL by the fact that Toby had been staring at them for such a profane amount of time.

Flipping through a leather-bound ledger, Gill glanced up and regarded Toby, briefly, before ignoring him and going back to his work of calculating and planning the island's food and goods distribution.

Recently, Pascal had warned that the sea was too rough for any shipments to go in or out, so a great deal had to be organized if anyone wanted to make money on the island... And if they wanted to keep from starving to death, too, of course– since they were now essentially cut off from the mainland and STRANDED.

But above all else, Gill found the money issue most concerning! "What are you here for?" he asked at last, sensing something amiss with the squinty-eyed fisherman.

"Oh, nothing much," Toby said, waving his arms around as if he were orchestrating a boat wreck. "I was just thinking... you read a lot. And you look like a smart guy. You must know a lot about everything."

"Yes." This was old news for Gill. He already knew that.

"So I was wondering..." Toby shyly scratched the back of his tan neck. "Um, if you knew anything about mermaids."

Wordlessly, Gill ducked under the counter for several seconds and reemerged, hoisting a long, thin wooden drawer up. He flopped it onto the counter with an unsettling smack. "M through O," he announced, going back to work and leaving Toby to find his own resources.

"Huh?" Leaning over the drawer, Toby carefully flipped through the yellowed cards within. "Wow." He tilted his head curiously. "Is this your recipe collection?"

Gill closed his ledger with a thump and nearly went cross-eyed. He wondered if Toby had truly never seen a book catalog before or if he was just goofing off. Searching Toby's vacant face for an indication, Gill decided it was the former.

"Here. Look for 'mermaid,' like this," Gill explained, rifling through the cards at an inhuman speed; "And then look upstairs for the books it lists." Parting the cards, he snatched one out and whipped it over to read. "Don't do this, though. You'll just mix them up and make a big mess!" Intently reading the card, Gill frowned when he discovered the three books it listed. Two of them had already been unofficially checked-out by him (and they were on his desk at home) and the last book was the one that Jin had STOLEN the other day in broad daylight.

"Hm?" Toby leaned over the counter, practically in Gill's face.

"Do you mind?" Gill shot. Backing away, he placed the card back in, grabbed the whole drawer, and disappeared under the counter once again. "It seems those books aren't in," his disembodied voice came from below. "Oh well. I'll just have to teach you what I know, then."

"Really?"

"Yes." Gill poked back up, his sharp eyes full of suspicion. "One question, though."

"Huh?"

"Why are so curious about mermaids all of a sudden?" Staring Toby down, Gill became even more suspicious when the young fisherman started sweating and fidgeting– a rare sight. "And what are you so worked up about?"

"I..." Toby paused, holding his hand over his heart– dreamily– as if it ached. "Met a girl," he explained; "She was beautiful."

"That doesn't explain anything!"

* * *

><p>Meringue Clinic's door locked behind Akari. Idling on the clinic's porch, she watched the sky and found that the sun hadn't waited for her all– instead, it had passed right by and washed the streets pink with leftover light– outright refusing to greet her. But it's not like the sun ACTUALLY greets people.<p>

_Thirsty. I've almost run dry,_ Akari thought, rubbing her head and sprinting away. She had planned on leaving early, but several patients and customers came by and as a result, Irene had put her in charge of the counter. Since Akari wanted to be a ultra-polite, she had bowed several times and lost a lot of water.

"If I'm going back to the river," Akari said to herself; "I'll go answer that monkey's riddle." She was now confident that she had the answer to it, especially since she had asked Jin (before leaving his office for the day) what was beyond Caramel Falls... A hot spring.

Racing past the stairs to Waffle Square, she peered above the rooftop of Sundae Inn and saw something... Visible beyond the trees and guard railings was a pink and orange blur– which– upon a closer look, revealed itself to be a strawberry blonde girl sitting all by herself on a bench. Evaluating a dinner plate in her hands, the girl drooped sullenly and filled the air with a blue aura of hopeless gloom.

Akari stopped, struck by the girl's obvious sadness. _It's getting dark... Why is she eating there all by herself? _she wondered. A dull pain dropped in her chest– a sort of shared grief– and without thinking, she went up the steps. Walking toward the girl on the bench, Akari stopped, sheepishly watching her from a distance.

Sensing that somebody was watching, the girl flinched, immediately putting on a cheerful smile.

_She already knows I'm here,_ Akari realized. _So shouldn't I..._

Emanating happiness, the girl took her sandwich, dinner plate and all, and opened her mouth– cramming the WHOLE thing in. Holding her knees, she bobbled her head, never once minding the glass crunching in her teeth.

Akari stared, struck speechless. She also ate in such a way. What a coincidence!

"That was lovely!" the girl said, wiping her mouth clean. Standing up, she readily regarded Akari. With a gaping mouth, she blinked vapidly and walked on over. "Hello!" She nodded in greeting. "You must be the newcomer my dad was talking about! Let's see, you're Akari, right?"

"Oh. Yes, that's right." Confused, Akari wondered if she had already met this girl's dad (if she had, she had no idea who he was). "And you?"

"You've seen the inn, right?" The girl flashed a toothy grin. "That's my house! I'm Maya! Nice to meet you!"

"Oh! A pleasure." Akari nodded happily. _So her mother and father are the inn keepers!_ Charmed by this, she kept bobbling her head, and on the second nod, her belly stabbed with a pain and released a earth-rattling grumble. It echoed throughout the square.

"What... what was that!" Maya panicked, looking around but finally ascertaining that the epicenter was right in front of her. "Was that... was that your stomach?"

"Ah." Akari gulped. "It was. Sorry about that."

Walking closer, Maya crouched down and held an ear to Akari's stomach. "When was the last time you ate?" she asked, much to Akari's discomfort.

"I– well, I think it was, er, was it?" Akari counted on her fingers. "Two or three days ago?" Yes, she hadn't eaten since she left Souffle Farm.

Jumping to her feet, Maya held her face in dismay– tears welling in her bright blue eyes. "T-that many days?" she cried, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Without FOOD?...! Are you even HUMAN?"

Upon hearing this question concerning her humanity, Akari jerked back as if she had been stabbed with a fork.

"That's horrible! That's– that's a fate worse than death!" Maya continued on; "Come here!" Grabbing Akari's hands, she led her to the bench and forced her to sit down. Pulling out another sandwich, she stuffed it in Akari's mouth.

"Eat! You must eat," Maya implored her to chew. She did this by chomping her own teeth several times– like a pair of wind-up dentures.

_This is all very surreal,_ Akari thought, frightened by Maya's demonstration. But since she was both hungry and polite, she did as Maya demanded of her and gobbled the sandwich vigorously. Bobbling her head AGAIN, she enjoyed its savory and delicious flavor as it evaporated in her gut. "The bread was good," Akari complimented. "Was it homemade? Its texture blended well with the mayonnaise! Were the slices pre-toasted?"

"Hold on, I didn't make it– so I don't know anything about that," Maya said, looking proud anyways. "Ask my grandma if you want to learn about cooking. My grandma's cooking is the best in town!"

"Your grandmother?" Akari instantly remembered the chef at Sundae Inn– the spunky old woman with pink, rope-like pigtails. Akari had seen her when she had woke up at the inn and again when delivering Souffle Farm strawberries.

"Yeah... It's funny. I keep getting in trouble for stealing food from her kitchen," Maya confessed sadly; "But I can't help it!" Pensively holding her chin, she lapsed into deep depression once again– though this time it was of a more frustrated nature. Though Akari wanted to ask Maya if anything else was troubling her, the girl had snapped from her funk before anything could be said.

"Oops, I'd better get going," Maya said, hyperly punching at the air. "Oh yeah, this is for you!" Taking out a cooking book, she handed it to Akari– who instantly jumped into the air with much rejoicing.

"You should read it," Maya insisted; "Don't starve yourself anymore, ok? Or I'll stuff you 'till you turn green. I'm serious!"

"I understand." Akari couldn't help but smile at the girl's straightforwardness.

"See you soon!"

Peeking out at Waffle Square through the Town Hall's double doors, Elli watched, rattling the keys hanging from the lock. She chuckled lightly to herself and tugged at her ruffly apron.

"What are you standing there for?" Gill inquired. Though it was late and Elli was going home for the day, he himself was staying a few more hours– as usual– to get some accounting and city planning done. More plots had to be zoned if the island was to attract new inhabitants (once the sea calmed down and boats could come in again, of course).

"I could be wrong, but I think the new islander ate Maya's cooking," Elli said, "and survived."

"Don't be ridiculous. If she survived Maya's cooking, then it wasn't Maya's cooking."

"I don't think you realize how contradictory that statement was..."

"Whatever." Gill shoved down on a stapler, securing a stack of extra-long papers. "You know what I meant."

Still peeking out from the doors, Elli sighed wistfully. "It would be so nice to be young again. The teenage years– it's like the 'spring' of one's life... It's so much easier to make friends during that time."

"You're not that old." Gill stapled another stack. "And wouldn't it be the 'winter' of one's life? It's much easier to make friends in winter. You get bored stupid and there's less work to do."

Elli chuckled gleefully. "You say the most amusing things!" Stepping out the double doors, she glanced back. "Don't forget that it's the 'springtime' of your life right now... Or wintertime, if you insist. Don't coop yourself up in here every day. Be more social or you'll regret it."

"Don't mother hen me."

"I don't think you mind it," she added; "and I don't think you mind HER." The doors locked shut, leaving Gill startled and in silence.

* * *

><p><strong>HIATUS! But don't worry, I'm just vacationing. *puts on shades and a can can hat*<strong>


	17. Like a Fish

After spending her night slogging up the rough stone pathway of Caramel Falls, Akari passed under a natural archway (carved through the mountainside) and trekked on, finally stepping before a small round pool of steaming, misty water. Staring at it hesitantly, she leaned over it, her nose tingling from its warmth.

"Monkey... I'm here to answer your riddle," she said, momentarily waiting before continuing; "When you told me to meet you here, 'past the falls', I know you pretty much gave me the answer to your riddle and all... Eheheheh..." She laughed nervously, speaking into the ripples on the hot spring's surface. "But I'll tell you it now, anyway... You 'run around' by flowing through the island's groundwater and emerging everywhere, from Maple Lake to Cream Beach. That's why the water's always warm, which makes the fish thrive." She paused, growing discouraged when no one answered her. "That's how you 'make cold hot.' You make these cold areas of water hot... that's how I understand it. You're the spirit of the hot spring."

Answering her at last, a fizzy white vortex of water twirled above the hot spring's surface, broke past its steam, and spiraled upwards. "That is correct," a familiar falsetto voice answered. "But you didn't figure it out yourself, did you? Nope! You used my hint, so you're still DUMB." The vortex broke apart and splashed water everywhere, revealing the little brown monkey from before. He hobbled up onto land.

"Dumb?" Akari said, greatly insulted; "That's a cruel thing to say when you barely know me!"

"I ALONE know your thoughts," the monkey answered wisely. "Isn't that enough for me to know you well?"

Aware that this was true, Akari was silenced. "Fine. But I'll say this," she finally answered; "you're JUST as dumb. You trapped yourself in this spring, after all. Didn't you?"

Even though the monkey knew where the girl was coming from, he pretended to be clueless. "I don't know what you're talking about," he huffed.

Akari stomped forward. "You underwent a career change! You mentioned that upon our meeting, right? I know what happened to you. I know how you became a water spirit– it's also why you revealed yourself that night, when I was thinking about that story of the drowning monkeys–"

"–I DON'T know what you're talking about–"

"–You're a mountain spirit who drowned in the hot spring, aren't you?"

As soon as Akari said this, the monkey grew intensely angry; one could tell because he bared his glistening teeth and his eyes narrowed– filling with fire.

"That's," the monkey answered between humiliated huffs, "a cruel thing to say when you barely know me! Hmph."

Akari couldn't help it; she let out a light and amused chortle, which just so happened to relieve the tension between them. The monkey knew that she didn't blame him for being stupid. After all, she had apparently always felt some sympathy for the drowning monkeys of lore. Why not him?

"Fine... Yes, I did drown," he answered. "One night I was bathing and fell asleep, and, well... That's how it happened. Carelessness. We're both equally dumb. Satisfied?"

Watching him carefully, Akari knelt forward and offered him her hand. "I'll only be satisfied if we become good friends now. Since I guess... we both share the hot spring from now on."

Looking reluctantly at her hand, the monkey saluted her instead. "I'll take this moment to remind you once again that I'm not marriageable." He shimmied away.

Stunned, Akari stumbled backwards. "I wasn't even thinking that!" she yelled.

"Not now, anyway."

"Grr!"

The monkey whooped as the girl angrily flailed after him: "Ooh-ee-ooh–calm down– cut it out! Ask me that question that you wanted to ask. It's in the back of your mind– isn't it? It is!"

Calming down, Akari stopped chasing him, distracted by her thoughts. "Right," she said; "I still don't understand what happened. I tried to claim the river, to become its guardian spirit I suppose, but this happened instead..." She had apparently claimed the hot spring and somehow its spirit.

Confused, the monkey scratched his head. "Oh? But you ARE the guardian spirit of the river now. Not just the hot spring. That's why we're in this situation to begin with." He dragged his arms across the stone floor, jumping back into the hot spring with a splash. "Just as the hot spring flows into the river, the river flows into the hot spring. All is one. We share. It's complicated– but all you need to know is this: come here when you're tired, leave your shoes at the archway... and relax! All your fatigue will melt away." After he said this he sunk into the water, up to his muzzle, closing his eyes and relaxing.

"Leave my shoes at the archway?" Akari repeated, curious as to why he would say that.

"Yep. It's an unspoken and unbreakable rule for the townspeople," he answered, "since they sometimes come here to bathe, you know? It's a way to show that someone's already in the hot spring. Privacy is important here! So go ahead and get in."

"Ah. Right!" Taking his advice, Akari did just that and took a long bath which lasted until four in the morning. Saying her goodbyes to the monkey (and all her troubles), she went home, sleepy and relaxed. Her body and head reservoir were fully quenched, and just as the monkey had said, her fatigue had melted away. In addition, all her questions had been answered, and as an added bonus, she now she had a way to soak in privacy.

The morning woke Akari up with its sweetly chirping birds and the sound of the river's low roar. Yawning where she stood (as she slept that way), she raised her arms over her sloshy head and stretched. Her limbs relaxed and popped as she thought about her chores. Weeding and watering had to be done once again.

_And I want to buy more seeds today,_ Akari thought;_ and maybe even... find and give something to Owen._ Her face flushed pink at the idea. Even though Owen had told her not to worry about it, she still wanted to pay him back with an actual gift. After all, he had saved her life– though that was quickly becoming an excuse just to see him.

"Let's go," Akari said, brandishing her right arm. When she heard abrupt snoring from behind her, however, she cowered and spun around.

There in Akari's covers, in the bed that she had never used (not even once) was a familiar young man with eternally closed eyes. It was that fisherman. Toby.

"What–" Akari gulped, stumbling backwards. _What is he doing in my bed?_ she wondered;_ Wait. Forget that. What is he doing in my HOUSE? _Checking her door and then her doorknob, she discovered that there was no lock. That answered that.

Leaning over Toby– who was resting blissfully and without shame– Akari grabbed his shoulders and shook him urgently. "Excuse me," she said and kept shaking him. "Please get up. Right now! Wake up–"

Seconds passed and Toby flailed around limply in her hands. He never really opened his eyes, but Akari knew he was awake when he suddenly stiffened and snorted shortly. She let go of him. Sitting up and yawning, he rubbed his slant-like eyes, ignoring the girl who was heedfully watching him.

"Oh," Toby murmured sleepily, finally noticing Akari's glare. "Good morning." He stared back, or at least faced her direction. He spoke as if nothing was wrong. It was as if he wasn't even aware of the concept of wrong. Apparently, he was both as innocent as a baby and as depraved as an old man.

Akari was in such disbelief that her head wobbled and splashed a few exasperated drops of water. "Toby," she said, in as polite a tone as she could muster in such a situation. "I must ask you, why are you sleeping in my bed?" _And when did you get INTO it? _she wondered, knowing that she hadn't been asleep for too long.

Toby gazed off into the distance, probably out the window which overlooked her pathetic field. "Oh," he answered passively; "Why am I in your bed? ...You weren't using it."

_That's not a good reason!_ Akari fumed. _And how did you even know it wasn't being used?_ She got a creeping feeling as she realized looked around and saw that all her windows were uncovered. "Please leave," she said, pointing at the door. "And please don't do this again."

Getting up, Toby did just as he was told, but with the urgency of a turtle. Reaching for the knob, he stopped and turned around. "It's interesting," he said suddenly. "That you sleep upright... kind of like a fish."

These words rooted themselves in Akari's mind well into the afternoon.

* * *

><p><strong>Back from vacation– I went to an island. I saw a lot of fish, but my favorite was the garibaldi.<strong>

**Garibaldi! It's a heroic name! The island reminded me of Harvest Moon...**


	18. Owen's Own Scavenger Hunt

What kind of girl settles on a farm, far in the hills, all by herself? How does she deal with the paralyzing realization at night that she is alone? Discussions and rumors about this enigma resounded throughout Waffle Town and beyond. Without question, this enigma concerned a very weird girl named Akari.

"What if a bear comes down from the mountain? And eats her?" Colleen fretted that afternoon, removing stains from the inn curtains with a citrus peel– as she often liked to do. "At the very least, we should make her board with us during the night."

Maya dropped her broom in excitement. "We should," she agreed. "In fact, let's adopt Akari and have her board here permanently! Then we can both share a room and talk nonstop, eating lots of cake in the midnight hours and–"

"–Oh, but you've been eating quite enough cake in the midnight hours," her father Jake interrupted. "And your grandmother is far from pleased."

Maya covered her mouth in shock. "But last night, I only had one itty-bitty slice," she admitted.

"So that was you!"

"Oops..."

At the carpenter's shop in the Mining District, one was even apt to believe that Akari wasn't a girl at all.

"Akari is a girl's name," Bo insisted for the umpteenth time. "Look. Isn't she too scrawny for a boy?" As he said this, he carefully sanded a newly built birdhouse.

Not being versed in such fine arts– despite being the star apprentice– Luke instead splintered an entire tree stump right in the middle of the floor. How the stump even got there was an enigma in itself. "Akari, Hikaru, Akira, whatever!" he said. "Anyways, Akari doesn't seem that scrawny, 'cause he's around your age, right? If you look at it, he even has more muscle than you!" Throwing back his head, he laughed heartily, driving this insulting point home even further.

Bo just about exploded. "That's because Akari," he said; "is really MUCH older than me." He knew that this was his only legit defense for being so weak.

"Ha! Maybe you should ask HIM to train you."

Bo turned away. "So stubborn. Since you don't believe me, or Owen, I think you should ask Akari and find out the truth yourself."

"I guess I should," Luke responded cheekily, wiping his brow.

"Though I think," Bo said; "you'll deny the truth no matter what. Because you don't want to accept a girl as a rival."

"Yeah?" Luke crossed his arms, stalking away to the window and stopping. "What's so wrong with that?"

"I can't believe you just admitted it... You're really something."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm thinking this: I don't want to meet my one and only rival but then be held back by my primal self." Full of conviction, he clenched his fists. "Man's still an animal, right? Any man of awesome breeding has evolved to be protective over women, children, and the important future those two make." He then held his fist up high, shouting at the ceiling. "It's the ultimate destiny of the human legacy!"

For a stunned moment, Bo opened his mouth and held it agape. "That has to be," he finally spoke; "the most philosophical thing you've ever said."

"I don't know. I liked that theory I once made about Invincible Ultror's power source."

"Ok. The most philosophical thing you've said yet... that doesn't involve saturday morning action cartoons."

"What do you mean?" Luke exclaimed; "I say awesome things all the time!" Ignoring Bo's frustrated retort, he turned to the window instead. Catching his eye on the street outside were two familiar figures– one of them tall and muscular and the other childish and gaunt. Owen and Akari. Side by side they walked past, engaged in conversation. Though Owen was preoccupied with the road ahead, Akari was gazing up at him, her eyes glistening and her lips smiling pleasantly.

For a moment, Luke's senses blurred and he couldn't recognize anything. All that was noticeable was the hostile weight in his throat and the increased pounding in his chest.

"–are not alike," Bo finished his unheard rant, finally noticing his partner's zoned-out state. "Luke... Luke?"

"Ah, wa-woah," Luke muttered, shaking his head. "What were you saying?"

"Goodness. Are you okay? Your face is all red. Maybe you should go out and get some fresh air."

"No. That's okay." Luke held his head, stumbling around. "I don't want to go outside right now. I'm just... going to lay down now. Alright?" Disoriented, he left for the back of the shop, confused by his powerful spell.

* * *

><p>Crouching over the forest floor, Akari plucked a green herb up and examined it in the light before sighing in pleasant relief. She had picked enough herbs to last Jin for the next few days.<p>

"You really seem to enjoy gathering," Owen said.

Akari nodded her sloshy head– her mouth a flat line throughout. Pensively, she recalled the fact that Owen had been with her when she had gathered all those toadstools last time, so understandably he had a skewed perception about her likes.

Just an hour before, when Akari had gone into the blacksmith's for the first time, she had met Owen's tiny cousin, Chloe, and Owen's austere Grandfather, Ramsey, who both loaded Akari with gifts despite the fact that she had only entered there for a simple door lock. Upon hearing that none could be made, however, Owen next suggested checking the carpenter's. This of course pulled Akari into an uncomfortable bout of silence, but Owen thankfully realized that she was afraid of getting into another axe battle with Luke.

"Traveling around the island all day in search of stuff sure sounds troublesome," Owen continued, unaware of Akari's reasons for doing so; "so you should look into having a barn or chicken coop built. Try it. I think you'd make a good rancher."

"Building, huh," Akari said. "But I don't have any building stone stored up or chopped... chopped wood." Just the word 'chopped' alone sent shivers up her spine.

Right away, Owen understood her simple fear. "I'll go with you to the carpenter's," he offered. "Just so you can take a look. Don't worry, everything will be fine!"

And when Akari went to the carpenter's, everything indeed went smoothly. With an understandable amount of reservation, she met Luke's father, Dale, who gave her a warm greeting and showed her a catalog of fixtures, paneling, roofs, and all the buildings he was capable of building– even giving her a manual to refer to later if she had more questions.

As Akari and Owen left the shop and strolled down the street, he stopped and faced the mine. An aura of darkness formed over his rust-colored hair.

"Are you anxious to get back to work?" Akari asked him, sensing that his mind was somewhere else. She looked over at the strange stone blocks alongside the smithy, the ones she had seen Owen crushing the day she first met him. Hadn't there been a wooden handle buried in one of them? It was now gone. _Come to think of it, what was that all about?_ she wondered.

"Ah, I guess you noticed it, then," Owen answered, greatly startling her. Could he hear her thoughts? Anxiously, he rubbed the back of his head in delay. "That I'm a bit of a workaholic," he finally admitted, squeezing his eyes shut and laughing carelessly.

Amazingly, Owen both relieved and frustrated Akari, all at the same time. "You normally work in the mine all day long, don't you?" she went on, eager to get some sort of clue from him; "But what is it that you do there?"

"I just mine and gather. That's what you do in a mine." It was quite a blasé answer, but he also seemed eager to leave.

Afraid of being cut short, Akari rushed her questioning. "What do you gather, though?" she asked, sticking close behind. "Anything to do with those weird blocks you were crushing that day? Is there something in them?"

Facing her, and with strained quietness, Owen stared at the girl with a simple smile on his face. "You really ask a lot of questions," he said. "And you're very curious. I guess that's why you're so smart."

"Huh?" Flattered by this unexpected compliment, Akari felt her face warm become unbearably hot.

"What I'm about to tell you... I'd appreciate if you kept to yourself." He leaned over and brushed the bangs from Akari's forehead. "That I'm playing a game with my grandfather... You see, a scavenger hunt. With things that don't belong to him. Things that instead belonged to my parents. That's all I can say for now." And at this, he walked away.

Enthralled but completely confused, Akari watched him leave, and for a moment wished to chase after him. Yet sensing his urgency, she let him be. With a rapidly beating heart, she touched her forehead– the place where his fingers had left their trace. _A scavenger hunt?_ she wondered. Just what was he searching for?


	19. Island of Broken Hearts

_Owen. Even though he's kind, he hides something troubling behind his smile. I wonder... just what it is?_

Pushing into Souffle Farm, Akari stepped across the dark, lacquered floor and greeted Ruth– who was attending the register as usual.

Since Akari had failed planting her first crop, she had been meaning to ask Ruth or Craig advice about it– as well as to buy some seeds from them. Picking them out, she discussed her issues with Ruth.

"So, you planted your potatoes in a block formation?" The woman asked.

Akari nodded.

"Well, that's a rather... traditional method," Ruth said, frowning slightly. "Since the soil on this island is no good anymore, you actually have to plant your crops in rows... Craig must've failed to explain that to you..."

Though Akari nodded her head in understanding, the blank look on her face told otherwise.

"In rows," Ruth repeated; "For irrigation."

"I-I see," Akari said, fighting back the urge to bite her nails. "I had no idea."_ I was completely unaware that were different methods! _she thought. _I'm such a novice... no wonder my potato crop didn't grow right. I just assumed that Mama's block planting method worked everywhere. _"I'll try again," she said aloud, selecting more seeds.

After Ruth tallied up Akari's purchases, Anissa peeked out from the back hallway's doorframe. "Akari," she greeted delightedly, her sensitive eyes sparkling, "you came back."

Turning around, Akari waived happily. "Good afternoon," she replied.

"It's nice to see you again," Anissa declared, suddenly noticing that her mom was busy with the cash register; "Oh, I'm sorry." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'll be in the kitchen, so come join me afterwards... I just made some hot tea and herb cookies."

"Really?" Akari exclaimed. "I'll be right in there!" As soon as she settled her purchases with Ruth, she gathered her seed pouches and hurried to the back of the house.

Standing behind the kitchen counter, Anissa sorted colorful herbs– which she had an impressive collection of– before turning away and pulling out an entire tea platter. "Akari, lets go sit at the table," she said. "You alright?"

"Huh? I-I think so." Akari panicked. "Why?" The tea platter was set on the table with a graceful clank.

"You just look a little pekid, is all... How's the farm coming along?"

Akari looked up. "Well it's... getting there." She laughed nervously. "I'm still learning from my mistakes... I make a lot of them!"

"That's ok. Just do what you can. You'll figure things out eventually," Anissa said, worriedly patting Akari's pale hand. "Just don't exhaust yourself too much. A woman needs to take care of her body... after all, she has more at stake than a man does."

"Does she?" Akari mumbled, uncertain of why. Man, woman, or Kappa– she didn't know which was more at risk. Everything was always so complicated. And life was just so short.

Anissa chuckled lightly. "I think she does. She looks very tired, and in need of a good snack. Right?"

Taking this as an offer to dig in, Akari hungrily stuffed her mouth full of cookies and nodded her head, shakily stirring honey into her tea cup.

"There. Your fatigue seems to be going away." Anissa smiled pleasantly. "But it looks like something is troubling you...?"

Chewing and swallowing, Akari cleared her mouth before speaking again. "I don't think I have many troubles. I mean, I just came to this island. It'd be ridiculous if I made enemies so fast." She gulped. "And... how could anyone stay troubled for long here?"

Nodding, Anissa slowly sipped her tea. "You'd be surprised," she said.

"Huh?"

Anissa narrowed her eyes. As soon as her comment came into question– a dark cloud blocked the sun outside, dimming the window. "You'd be surprised to know," she explained, "how everyone on this island suffers from a broken heart."

Akari clutched her cup tightly, thinking that this was a strange thing to discuss. "Then does that mean," she asked, "that you have a broken heart, too?"

Anissa smiled warmly once again. "Some people are born with a hole in their heart, one that prevents them from being happy," she rambled on. "Most people, though, contract one just from shouldering the troubles of life. It all depends on who you choose to be, Akari. I'm still choosing, myself. So." She paused. "Is anything, or anyone, troubling you?"

Feeling exposed by Anissa's almost magical awareness, Akari found herself unable to put off her question any longer. "No... not really for me, per say," Akari hesitated. "I guess. I'm just a bit contemplative about the blacksmith, Owen. And the doctor, Jin. Not that they give me too many reasons for being such... I just wish I knew what their deals were..."

"Owen and Jin." Anissa nodded her head. "Those two surely occupy themselves with their work, don't they?" She poured herself more tea. "What is it, I wonder, that they're trying to escape from...?"

"Do you know?" Akari piped hopefully.

"I know the most about Owen," Anissa confessed. "He came to this island when he was very young... To live with his grandfather– since both his parents, ranchers, were lost in a blizzard. It's hard to believe it now, but Owen used to be at odds with his grandfather back then. They fought all the time."

"Hmm." Akari fidgeted. She wondered why they didn't get along back then– did Owen simply not accept his grandfather yet? It was hard to tell, since now they both seemed to get along fine.

"And Jin," Anissa mentioned. "It seems he had many lives before he came to this island... Curious, since he seems so young." Hunching in closer to speak suddenly, she switched to a more gossipy tone. "Say, you've seen him at the clinic a lot, haven't you? I want your opinion. Don't you think that he seems quite emotional?"

"What? No," Akari vehemently denied; "Quite the opposite! He doesn't seem to have any emotion at ALL."

"Well. Not the bright and showy type, at least. I guess I meant the more sentimental kind."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akari nearly tilted her head in confusion, but stopped. Fortunately! To her embarrassment, though, keeping up with all this gossip was proving difficult for her.

Anissa chuckled amusedly at this. "You're a wonderful girl, Akari." She patted the farmer's gourd-like head. "I think you're exactly what this island needed. You'll open a lot of hearts."

"I... ah... thanks?" Akari's face burned lightly.

"Just remember," Anissa said; "To come back to entertain me from time to time... I get very bored."

* * *

><p>Evening, and closing time, fell upon the Town Hall like sickle. Filing the last of his ledgers and reports, Gill turned to Elli and stared sternly. "Did you write up that bulletin for the Flower Festival?" he asked.<p>

"It was done three days ago," she answered; "Not that anyone needs a reminder... Ah. Though I suppose that new farmer does."

Grabbing his diary out from the black hole of his pocket, Gill flipped it open and dashed a quill over it. "I don't get you," he said. "With you, everything I say leads back to THAT farmer."

Tidying some papers on the counter, Elli smiled. "With me?" she responded. "If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who's always scrutinizing and theorizing about her."

"And for good reason," Gill declared. "How suspicious is it? Really?"

"How suspicious is WHAT?"

"For a young girl to move all by herself– to the middle of nowhere– just for some worthless land and a life of harsh, menial labor." He scribbled hurriedly throughout his explanation, almost as if he were copying it down. "Don't you think that she's hiding some kind of horrible secret, like a criminal record or familial shame? Or perhaps–" He raised his quill and pointed it. "–She's intentionally trying to attract special attention."

"Quite possible enough." Elli nodded. "She got yours, didn't she?"

Having dealt with Elli's little comments all day, Gill remained unaffected. "I'm simply alert," he explained. "Alert and skeptical, which is something that any intelligent person should be–" The large front doors shoved opened, cutting his proclamation short and provoking him to hide away his diary.

Walking in was none other than the subject of discussion– Akari– a dirty farmer who had never made her profession too obvious until now. For on this night, right before the well-groomed Gill, she appeared. Shamelessly she stood– covered in dust, dried weeds, dandelion fluff, cobwebs, sap, and mud– which had been smeared across her forehead, right below her unruly head of hair. So filthy was Akari's appearance, that not even the admirability of her hard-working nature could be respected.

_The audacity!_ Gill thought indigently._ No girl should ever show herself like this! Not when others take such painstaking care in their appearances–_

"–Eh? Is something on my face?" Akari stammered, quickly rubbing her forehead and making the mess only worse. Thinking that she had taken care of her problem, she walked up to the counter. "Good evening," she greeted politely. Even though she acted quite cordial, Gill still gaped at her as if she were some sort of golem or earth sprite.

"Evening." Elli waived normally. Gill was certain that she was only pretending.

_Maybe, this is all part of the farmer's plan,_ he thought. _A conspiracy supported by Elli. _He considered the possibility that Akari was a mastermind trying usurp control over the town and the mayor's properties.

–_By marrying into wealth!_

As soon as he formed this unsound theory, Akari glanced at him. "May I look at the resident directory?" she asked.

"It's right there in front of you." He brusquely pointed to the thin, wide book sitting on the counter before her.

"Oh. Thank you." Quickly opening it, she flipped through the pages with the intensity of a squirrel– her eyes wide and arms jumping with movement.

_What is this! Who is she looking up?_ Gill pondered, feeling that the girl was acting suspiciously– and with THAT book. A book which kept data on every current island resident. Their names, addresses, birth dates, traits, and likes... quite notoriously, it was used by the young for spouse selection. _If she's looking me up, then..._

Though Akari perused the book privately, Gill had to spy a glimpse at it. He had to– because the page she was transfixed on had her smiling like a cat receiving an ENTIRE salmon. Leaning in slightly he glanced down.

Owen.

Akari clenched her fists delightedly when she read that Owen liked drinks. She had been agonizing over what to give him for some time, so such a solution was relieving. _Should I go to the bar tonight to buy some? _She held her chin in contemplation. _And is such a gift really ok? As a gift from a friend, that is..._

Closing the directory, she turned and walked away, uneventfully pushing through the front doors and leaving.

Gill– as soon as the doors closed shut– lunged for the directory and pulled it to his face. Though he had the book completely memorized, he still scrutinized the same page that Akari had glanced at, all while trying to figure out why she was so interested in Owen.

_I don't get it. Is it the muscles?_ he wondered, glancing down at his own a moment in silence, contemplating his unimpressive scrawniness, he snapped in outrage– violently shaking the book, almost as if he expected it to apologize.

"You... should go home early today," Elli said, unnerved by the spectacle he was making. "I'll lock up instead."

Childishly ignoring her suggestion, Gill went back to work– defiantly acting as if nothing had ever happened.

Elli didn't push the idea any further. She already knew that Gill was the kind of boy who would rather lay down and die than leave work early.


	20. The Naked Truth

Standing at the Sundae Inn Bar's locked door, Akari fell on her hands and knees in despair. Her hopes of buying a drink as a present (for Owen) had been crushed– but perhaps these hopes were foolish to begin with.

_That's right, _she suddenly remembered;_ When I first visited the town hall, I met a girl named Kathy there… She said the bar would be closed for awhile._

Getting up, Akari walked past the cobblestone streets of Waffle Town. _During that time… I guess I was too angered by my argument with Gill to much pay attention to such important details,_ she thought; _What were we even arguing about back then? _

Akari had already forgotten and forgiven.

_Gill. He's a bit of a stuffed shirt, but he's very serious and hard-working... It was probably just a misunderstanding on my part._

Using the brilliant moonlight, Akari found her way home and diligently worked her field. Being very careful this time, she planted the seeds she had bought from Souffle Farm earlier– potatoes and turnips– and attempted to water them all. Soon exhausted by this, she refilled her watering can and rested by the trough. Lost in thought, her ears filled with the heavy breathing of the night sky and the rumbling river, and she surveyed her newly planted seeds with profound awe. All of these things, in combination, made her think about the mysterious thing that Anissa had said to her earlier:

_"You'd be surprised to know… how everyone on this island suffers from a broken heart." _

Being too fatigued to water the last half row of her seeds, Akari dragged herself into her house and went to sleep– despite of her worried thoughts about the island and its inhabitants. She wondered if she'd dream about that glowing woman again, but her sleep was firmly uneventful.

Waking up the next morning, the terrible pang of hunger stung Akari's gut and made her tremble with an alarming craving for something heavy and filling. Shuffling through her rucksack, she contemplated eating a precious herb but miraculously found a Very Berry in there. She didn't remember having it, but since she snatched WHATEVER off the ground, there were bound to be surprises like these within!

Akari rammed the entire Very Berry in her mouth– leaves, stalk, seeds, skin and all. She felt a little better after eating it, but understandably, one fruit was not a true meal. It was nothing compared to the tea and cookies served by Anissa the other day– and it was barely comparable to the sandwich that Maya had fed her the day before that. _That reminds me… I must repay their kindness,_ she thought tearfully. She would never underestimate the value of a home-cooked meal ever again.

Soothed by the chirping birds outside, Akari left out the front door and traveled down and around the ridge of her farm. Even though her stomach rattled like a hollow seed pod, the morning sun warmed her back and promised her with the bug-covered bounty of its creation: something from off the ground again.

On second thought, this didn't appease Akari at all. Instead of running off to forage, she took out her fishing pole and ran for the river. "I refuse to die of starvation–" she swore with demented urgency; "–Even if I fish up a boot, I will eat it… because leather is just animal skin. Yes…" The recent lack of protein (or anything) in her diet for the past week had finally obliterated her sanity. Launching her fishing pole forward, its lure landed in, bobbled on, and glided across the water.

A whole entire hour passed before Akari got even one nibble. When the fishing pole tugged in her hand, she held on tight and yanked the rod desperately. In her frenzied battle with the rod, water sloshed from her head bowl and her energy drastically drained. However, miraculously– right when she was about to faint– the line flew up through the air and a squirming fish landed in her hands.

It was a 15 cm redfin. Akari stared into it's black, soulful eyes and felt its tender skin wriggle in her hands. "I… I can't eat this... as it is," she realized aloud, gaping at it. "I can't eat a WHOLE fish ALIVE." She said this even though she ate dinner dishes whole. "But Papa could… eat fish whole…"

Such was the might of a Kappa's iron stomach.

_So surely… I must be able to eat a whole LIVE fish, too!_ she thought determinedly; _Neh… but I don't want to…_ She shook her head at the sight of the gasping, desperate fish in her hands– a pitiful creature who slowly gave into his destiny. She, too, would have to give in.

"I mustn't be so picky," Akari said, tilting back her head; "Down the hatch!" Holding the fish by it's tail, she slowly lowered it into her mouth– but stopped halfway.

She stuffed the half-dead fish into her rucksack.

"I can't do it after all…" Akari hunched over, grasping her knees in defeat. However, after a bit of deliberation, she took out her axe and the now-dead fish with a new sense of purpose. "Maybe I can cut the fish up and make sashimi," she said. "How do I do that?" She held the axe in one hand, the fish in the other, and stared between the two. "Gut. Clean. Chop," she said to herself, as if trying to summon a hidden action. But there was no way she could perform such a command!

"WHY?" she yelled at the sky, raising both items heavenward. Without a proper kitchen, she would surely die.

Right when Akari was about to throw the fish down on the ground and senselessly chop it– like firewood– she felt the fractional coolness of a shadow on her back. _Somebody there? _she thought, quickly stuffing away the axe and turning around. She wished for no more incidents, but it seemed her wishes never came true, for she was now face to face with Toby– the perverse fisherman who was possibly onto her Kappa secret.

"Oh, are you trying to cook that?" he asked, pointing at the fish and acting as if he had done NOTHING terrible to her in the past two days.

Akari shimmied backwards. "Don't come any closer!" she warned in a voice fraught with distress.

"Why?" Toby tilted his head with sincere ignorance.

Toby was exactly like a child. That's why Akari found herself unable to answer him bluntly. But still, she really wanted to say, 'Because you're a creepy guy who looked up my shirt and slept in my bed!'

However, she felt that it was too presumptuous of her and so kept quiet. There was clearly something not right about Toby… and she didn't want to bully a lunatic. She also didn't want to become a girl who always thought men were after her.

_I just need to make some boundaries with him,_ she rationalized. _If I carefully tell him what he did to make me angry, he might understand a little bit and learn. Like a child._

"Could it be," Toby began, holding his cat-like face in thought, "that you're still angry about last time?"

Akari froze completely in place, just like a scarecrow. _Maybe this guy isn't as ignorant as I previously believed,_ she thought– a sinking feeling settling in her chest as he came closer. She backed away and bumped into the ridge's boulder-enforced wall. "H-hold it," she said– holding up her hands at him– her heart pounding from the feeling of being hunted and cornered.

"I'm not mad at you," she said, "I'm just… just weary of you." She didn't want to tell him that she was scared of him, lest he derived some sort of twisted enjoyment from it. Possibly, Akari's only advantage in this situation was that she was also capable of thinking like a lunatic.

Toby stopped– his face only a hair's width away from hers. Though he was uncomfortably close, he only seemed to be studying her face with intellectual intent. It was as if he was reading an encyclopedia and arriving at an answer.

_Did he figure it out? _Akari thought in horror, her toes curling in her boots. _Did he just realize that I'm the Kappa girl?_

Just as suddenly as Akari had arrived at that conclusion, Toby pulled away and pounded his palm with his fist. "Yes of course, that's it," he said in profound revelation; "I did things that upset you, however, I haven't properly apologized yet. First off… I'll set the hook-in-your-shirt issue right by doing what is fair." Sliding his fingers under the hem of his blue linen jacket, he gracefully pulled it off and dropped it on the ground.

"Hwa… uh?" Akari emitted, looking down at his jacket, completely dumbfounded. It was when she glanced back up that she saw it.

That Toby had taken off his shirt.

Yes, dropping his blue t-shirt on the ground, Toby revealed his polished tan muscles beneath the blinding sunlight and somehow– though he had boyishly thin proportions– he still managed to appear almost as buff as Owen. Perhaps right next to blacksmithing, fishing and sailing were among the toughest trades.

"Mu… mu…" Akari garbled, shielding her eyes from his shining abs; her cheeks glowing red with equal intensity. _Muscles!_ she thought in agony;_ My ONE true WEAKNESS._ This of course was nonsense. Akari had too many weaknesses to assign numbers to.

Holding her reddened face, and just about to scream, Akari dashed past Toby and ran far down the road. Once past the ridge of her farm, she let out a massive "NOOOO~" which echoed clear down to the falls.

"Was that not enough?..." Toby wondered aloud, still standing shirtless.


	21. An Old Photograph

On that fine afternoon– Gill– with his hands in his plaid pockets, wandered up the dirt road towards Akari's farm. _Not because I want to spy on her, or anything_, he reasoned to himself, _but because I want to examine that root blocking the road between the Mine and River districts. I heard it wasn't cut yet._

Despite how firm he felt his logic was, he still failed to give a good enough reason as to WHY he was examining the root from Akari's side of the road (and not from the other side– which would've made more sense because he could've immediately gone to the carpentry afterwards to scream at Luke). However, it did explain that Gill's fascination with Akari was reaching a boiling point.

Why was Akari living and working in the middle of nowhere and all by herself? What was it like where she came from? And why… did she leave that place? These questions constantly plagued Gill, and with such violent intensity, that he was certain that she was the villain of his diary-bound fantasies– an EVIL temptress plotting something nefarious. Something that didn't involve farm plots.

Reaching the bottom of the ridge, Gill stopped. In the distance, alongside the river, he spied Toby– just standing there– blankly staring off into the distance (presumably watching fish in the water) and all while shamelessly displaying his half-nakedness. His clothes remained wadded in the dirt beside him.

"That guy is… infinitely strange," Gill said to himself at last (and with dripping pretentiousness). Not wanting to be spotted, he continued about his business and passed Akari's farm– which was growing a decent-sized crop. The sight of all the vegetation put Gill at ease considerably (since it showed that Akari was too busy laboring away to cause much mischief YET) but it still made him wonder if she had used sorcery in aid of its growth.

Stricken by a sudden recollection, Gill stopped by Akari's mailbox to think. Though Toby was no longer in his sights, he couldn't help but remember the incident from two days ago– back when Toby had badgered him about mermaids at the Town Hall.

During that time, Gill had told him all about the lore of mermaids (since he couldn't give him the checked-out book detailing it): like how mermaids were a bad omen and how they could hypnotize men with their singing and lead them to death, typically by drowning. How shocked Toby's eyes looked (even if he never opened them!) and how strange of a coincidence it was… for him to suddenly become so interested in mermaids– especially in light of the new farmer and her role as a kappa in Gill's imaginings.

_After I educated him about mermaids, he mentioned that he saw one… Does this mean that the fisherman saw the kappa?_ Gill thought intensely, whipping out his green diary to jot this idea down. He never knew when inspiration would strike him, so he always carried the book around wherever he went. Holding his pen in his mouth, he considered the plot further, but not once did he ever make a connection or separation of his fantasies and reality. (Nor did he ever imagine Toby into anything more than a fisherman.) Such was the depth of his insanity!

Tucking his diary and pen away, Gill continued on his way, and after a short while, he came upon the large root of the Mother Tree. And the girl of his musings.

Akari.

Left and right the girl tilted her head, eyeing the root with an unspoken franticness. Her glossy cheeks– bright red– tightened when she reeled around to face her intruder. However, seeing Gill's face, her intense expression melted into a relieved smile.

_Knickerbockers! _she thought jubilantly. She was just glad it wasn't Toby.

Gill, though, was certain that she was happy to see him (just because of how great he was) and this notion delighted him. "…Oh, hey Akari," he said, crossing his arms to fortify his conceit; "That root is in your way, right? I asked the carpenter to cut it, but he keeps stalling."

Once again, Akari appeared troubled. _I can understand why Luke doesn't want to come around and do it,_ she thought; _I also don't want him to… Nothing personal. _It wasn't his fault if he wanted to chop her into a million pieces.

Gill remained blissfully unaware of the situation between Akari and the star carpenter. Somehow, the gossip hadn't reached him and Elli yet. "I think my father keeps telling Dale to wait. A lot of people object to cutting the root."

Akari answered him with a ginormous question mark. (Which was a natural response in this world, along with music notes, squiggly lines, and battle auras.)

"This root is a part of the Mother Tree. The Mother Tree means so much to the island," Gill rambled on; "…But it's in the way, we have no choice. It should be cut for the sake of people's lives. I'm sure the Harvest Goddess would understand." As he spoke in an increasingly self-important way, it became very obvious that he was too big for his knickerbockers.

Akari, troubled by Gill's hasty decision, quickly spoke up in hopes of deterring him: "Actually, I quite like this big, road-blocking root here. It looks very nice from this angle and if you squint your eyes, it sorta looks like a bear–"

"–Ok," Gill said, totally ignoring her; "I'm going to Dale's Carpentry again to remind him. I'll get this path clear one way or another."

"W-wait–" Akari yelled, her eyes holding back a desperate plea for life: _NOOO! PLEASE DON'T bring axe crazy Luke around here– I don't want to be chopped up– not chopped up– NOT KAPPA GIBLETS– SO MUCH BLOOD!_

Kappa didn't have giblets, but that was irrelevant. Reaching out, Akari snatched Gill's arm, tugged him back around and (in one frantically messed-up tumble) fell backwards with him landing right on top of her.

Gill– letting out a muffled cry– pulled his face away from Akari's chest. Despite its smallness, it had cushioned his landing– a discovery which made his face turn completely red.

Akari, unfortunately, did decidedly worse. With her right cheek smack in the dirt, her eyes swirled in their sockets and her head glugged out precious water. The last thing she remembered was Gill calling her name.

* * *

><p>Getting Akari to her house was a back-breaking battle. Though Gill attempted to princess-carry her (as was suitable for a romantic prince like himself), he was unable to lift her past his knees (and barley able to move her more than ten steps) before placing her back in the dirt and gasping for air.<p>

"She is vastly heavier… than she looks," Gill said between labored breaths. He hadn't struggled THIS much since that time he tried moving the town hall's TV set.

By now, Akari's limbs were sprawled out in the dirt, her eyes were rolled back into her skull, and her skin had lost most of its elasticity due to a slow death via dehydration. Gill, catching onto her SOMEWHAT urgent condition, pulled her close and lifted her up onto his back in a pathetic excuse for a piggyback ride. In his defense, his forte was heavy reading, not heavy lifting.

After twenty minutes of hauling Akari down the road and into her house, Gill set her down in bed and brushed the hair out of her sunken face. As she laid there, gasping for breath, he filled with intensifying panic. _What is wrong with her?_ he thought anxiously, holding his head and looking her up and down; _She looks dreadful! What should I do? _In such a situation, the prince would seek the help of the wizard for a cure… but the wizard had explicitly warned him to stay away from the kappa to begin with!

"Dealing with that man will be frightening, but… I must take responsibility," Gill said to himself at last; "I'll go call Dr. Jin."

Upon hearing the cruel doctor's name, Akari– despite being half-unconscious– sat up at once and cried out, "NO, DON'T CALL HIM." Flopping back down, she then weakly asked for water.

"Of course," Gill answered brightly; "I'll get you some water." Digging around in Akari's rucksack, looking for her watering can, it took him a full minute to realize that her request was ENTIRELY like that of a kappa's.

Pulling out the watering can (which was brimming full of NONSENSE) Gill set it down on the nightstand with a steady but contemplative hand. _Akari…_ he thought, still clutching the rucksack; _I've imagined many things about you, many absurd and marvelous things, but in actuality… _

_I don't know anything about you. Nothing at all. _

_So how is it possible… that you're exactly what I've imagined?_

Dropping the rucksack on the ground, a small paper fluttered out and landed face-up at Gill. "What's this?" he said, reaching down and picking it up. It was a glossy photo on white card stock: a photo of a blonde haired woman in overalls and a young Akari– who was sitting on her lap and smiling with all the mischievous mirth of a little boy.

"That's right…" Gill said, his eyes downturned with sudden melancholy; "She said her mother was gone, too…" Had he been wrong to be so fiercely suspicious of her?

Turning the photo over, Gill read the names on the back. _Claire… and Akari,_ he thought, suddenly thinking that this title was written with very sloppy handwriting; _How weird. Did Akari write this when she was little? If so, it should've been something more childish, like 'Me and mama'… How informal._

Flipping the photo over and studying it once again, Gill noticed something even more peculiar… that the photo had been taken on the shore of a pond. And from the water.

Before he could foolishly theorize that the photo may have been taken from a boat, a loud knock sounded at the door– and before anything else could be done– Jin barged in with Toby in tow.


	22. Toby's Mermaid

"What do you think you're doing?" Jin demanded, his sharp eyes discerning the watering can atop the nightstand and then Gill– who sat alongside Akari's lifeless body.

"N-nothing," Gill said, frowning stubbornly and sliding off the bed. "I was just minding my own business, I had nothing to do with it, when all of a sudden she went and–"

"–It was a rhetorical question. Get out." Despite of his deceptively calm voice, Jin's silent rage darkened the air around him like a raincloud's looming shadow.

"I… I was just on my way." Tucking Akari's precious photo back into her rucksack (he wasn't some cad who would steal it– and he already had a CURRENT one of her, anyway), Gill brushed his hands off on his pants and strode away. _How odd…_ he thought; _Though I touched that dirty farmer, I don't feel compelled to go home and wash myself. _He still wanted to re-iron his shirt, though.

Jin, immediately taking Akari's side– propped her up against her headboard and felt at her neck to check various nodes and her pulse. "The both of you will wait outside," he said hurriedly, but with a fair amount of sternness, not once bothering to face Gill and Toby. He waited until the door closed behind the two before taking the watering can up and dousing Akari's head with it. Her sunken skin, momentarily lifting up and revealing green scales underneath, regained suppleness and her breathing calmed. However, she quickly dried up her clothes and bedding– returning to normal and appearing to still be partially parched.

_I don't understand,_ Jin thought. _Does her head store most of her body fluid? Does she faint easily because she's half human, or half kappa? _He scoffed in pity at the girl. _What a ridiculous creature… _He couldn't help but feel resentment towards the gods who let her creation happen– and her parents– even if they probably had a good excuse for plopping out and abandoning her. At least, that's what he told himself so he could focus.

_There's no time for that now… What matters is her health and recovery,_ he thought. _I need to take her back to the clinic. I'll try reviving her there with a full-body soak. _

"You two out there," Jin said, facing the door; "She's been stabilized. You may come back in." He watched the door, with a flat expression, as it re-opened and the two young men pushed back through.

Though Toby obediently went off to the side to wait, Gill took an argumentative stance right before the doctor. "I don't get it," Gill said, folding his arms. "Why are you TWO even here?" He was admittedly still bitter about being interrupted in the middle of rescuing Akari.

"It's as I said," Toby spoke up; "I saw you struggling to carry Akari… She looked sick, so I got help."

"And luckily, I was on my way here already," Jin said, coughing into his hand. He had something to give Akari– to help her identify different herbs in the future– but that would have to wait for another day. "Enough of that," he said, moving away from the bed and adjusting his glasses; "Toby, come here. I want Akari carried to the clinic, upright, with her head supported, since she needs further treatment."

"Ok." Toby nodded docilely. "Like this?"

Gill watched with dumbfounded anger as Toby slid his arms under Akari– hoisted her up– and flawlessly princess-carried her away.

"I-I could've done that," Gill stammered, red-faced and indignant. "It's just that I lost strength when she fell on me." He frowned when Toby COMPLETELY ignored him and left out the door.

_That fisherman… is proving to be an obstacle,_ Gill added mentally, his blue eyes hiding beneath the shadow of his brow. _In that case, then I will have to remove him…_ Clinging to the door frame, he laughed sinisterly under his breath.

"You lost your strength, was it?" Jin said, standing ominously behind Gill. "Then you should do some strength training… by bringing twenty pails of water to the clinic before evening."

"Twenty whole pails?" Gill jolted back, more concerned with the number than the actual oddity of the request. "Twenty? Surely, you don't mean for me to do this all alone–"

"–Or would you like to stay with me at the clinic… and explain in detail how Akari got hurt?"

"You know, I think I'll get started right now."

Amazingly, there appeared to be some sort of social order or predatory food chain among the bachelors. Unfortunately, Toby was not at the top.

Leaving Gill with the watering can, Jin tucked his hands into his white coat pockets and left down the road, following Toby all the way to the clinic.

* * *

><p>That evening, after her final soak, Akari slept soundly upright in a hospital cot. From beyond the windows, the setting sun washed her face pink with its tranquil light– save for the flitting blackness from a bird or two– and left her peacefully undisturbed.<p>

Jin, who watched over her, stayed close by while sipping tea and working on some patient logs. At one point, he had also pulled up a stool to serve as a makeshift desk.

Even if he didn't need to watch Akari this closely, Jin still felt compelled to. Because somehow– like watching a kitten snuggled by the hearth on a winter's day– watching Akari sleep made him feel content. It put him at ease.

But at the same time, it also made him feel like an absolute creep.

When the room-divider curtain rattled beside Jin, he almost fell over. "Irene," he said, identifying the source right away. "What are you doing?"

The old woman hobbled on over to Akari's bedside. "Just checking on the girl," Irene said. "And making sure you haven't attacked her… yet."

"Attack? What are you saying..." Jin emitted solid frustration at her suggestion. (In the form of squiggly lines, no less.)

"Toby came back to see you. Should I bring him in?"

"Go ahead."

Irene disappeared behind the curtains, and in a minute, Toby reemerged in her place.

"Oh, hello again," the young man said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I was wondering how Akari was doing… since you made me leave before her treatment… and I wanted to talk with you."

Jin glanced at the girl's bed. "She's well, as you can see." He walked past the curtain. "Follow me. We'll talk on the other side. I also wish to speak with you."

Toby, watching Jin sit down on a stool, followed him and sat down on a nearby cot.

"Now then," Jin said, setting his clipboard down on his lap and giving his undivided attention; "You go first. What did you want to say?"

Toby sweated, fidgeted around, and rubbed at his neck before answering. "I'm, um… I've been feeling weird again lately," he said. "Like I'm seeing everything through a veil of water, and from outside my body. I know you told me to see you if things like this started happening again, but I-I met this girl. I think about her so much, it's hard to concentrate. I want to see her again, but…"

"But?"

Toby lowered his head and panicked a little. "But she's a mermaid… It's really weird, isn't it? At first I was ok, but then I couldn't make any sense out of it… just that she could be a part of my mind."

"Yes, she must be. Mermaids don't exist."

"But if she is a part of myself, I should be able to see her again… I want to see her again."

"You shouldn't stress yourself out thinking about her. If you do, it will only aggravate your condition." Jin stood up, as if to shake off the guilt from telling such a lie. "You need to distract yourself and relax. Looking for her will only cause you stress."

"But I've been relaxing. I've been napping and fishing every day."

"Good. You've been doing very well since you came here… since that falling incident at your father's company."

Toby knowingly nodded his head at this. "It's okay, Doctor. You can call it attempted suicide. I don't mind."

"It's still a sensitive subject."

"Not really. Ah, didn't you have something to tell me?"

Jin stood by the window and stared at the street outside. "It's nothing, really," he said. "I just wonder if you like your life here."

"Quite. It's much more peaceful than life in the city. Back then, I felt like I was going insane… No, I did go insane."

"Realization is the first step to recovery."

"Thanks for listening to me. I guess… I'll go now."

"Take care of yourself, Toby," Jin said, waiting by the window as the fisherman left. Even from the back room, the sound of the clinic door closing could be heard.

In the after silence of the darkening room, Jin spoke again: "It's rude to eavesdrop, Akari."

The girl nearly fell out of her bed.

* * *

><p>In the next chapter, Gill may or may not beat Toby to death with a golf club.<p>

**Accidentally the Whole Fic, **you gave me such a tempting exiting strategy for this story. XD (But I don't want SOAK to end… YET.)

_It should be mentioned now that I didn't make up all this kappa stuff. It's based on actual Japanese folklore, so I can't take ALL the credit._


	23. The Wrath of a Hermit River Goddess

Indeed, Akari was awake. Her hospital cot creaked in confirmation following Jin's observation– not that he needed it. He could easily tell apart the various breathing patterns of those in stages of sleep and wake (and even those in-between). It was an acquired skill– one he used to regularly monitor the consciousness of his patients. And to occasionally frighten them.

Akari– having been awake long enough to hear everything– clasped her hand over her mouth. _He knows I'm awake? He KNOWS?_ Still startled, she stole a few more thoughts: _But what was he talking to Toby about? Attempted suicide? _The words resounded in her mind._ Toby… did he once live a stressful city life? One that caused him to go over the edge?_

Jin, with the stealthiness of specter, appeared beside her cot and stared down his nose at her. Akari didn't know the nature of the opinions held behind those cold eyes of his, but they caused her to gulp. "I… I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said, knowing that it only sounded like she was making excuses. "I simply wanted to avoid Toby for today."

Jin pushed up his glasses, causing them to reflect secretively, like the one-way mirrors in an interrogation room. "Is that so?" he asked. "Why is it, I wonder, that you're avoiding him? Has he been bothering you again?"

"Th-that's…"

"At any rate, I guess you have information to hold over his head now. How fortunate."

Akari didn't like this assumption that she– in her desperation– would resort to blackmailing someone. Only Jin would do such a thing. He HAD done such a thing (and to her no less)! Her tongue was ready to lash out this fact, but she held it in favor of delivering a passive-aggressive remark right back: "In the future, Doctor, you might want to remember that curtains block sight, not voices."

Nodding at her, Jin smiled– as if she were a mildewy fountain spewing forth stale brilliance– and then answered, "I see. Thank you, Akari, for your _sound_ advice."

With an irate growl, Akari slid off the cot and to her feet. Truthfully, the pun went right over her head, but she was still rightfully offended by his patronizing attitude. "Well it's been real nice hitting my head, Doctor!" she huffed; "Our visit this time was ALMOST bearable." All because she had slept through it.

Jin nearly laughed. Snorting into his hand, he immediately cleared his throat and made it sound as if he had only coughed. It was important to hide his joy around her, because if she knew…

Remembering the usual nature of their visits, Akari reached behind her back to search her rucksack (and to pull out a herb for ceremoniously throwing at his face, no doubt). But it wasn't there. Her rucksack was GONE.

The girl searched her person with monkey-like confusion, and for a moment, Jin thought she was going to scratch her head and beat her chest in frustration.

"If you're looking for your rucksack, it's at your house," Jin said. "It was left behind."

"Left behind?" Akari parroted. Her wide eyes narrowed with distress; she needed that rucksack. "But I… I didn't deliver that herb to you today…" She patted at her pockets and searched, as if she ever actually stored anything in THERE.

"It's fine. Forget about today, you passed out. The clinic is closing so you should go home and get some rest."

"I'll deliver the herb… I promised! I'll bring it to your house–"

"–No. If you pass out again, what will I do? It'd be troublesome."

"But…"

"Go home. You've been in bad health and constant trouble these days, and I'm beginning to rethink this all… I've put too much weight on your shoulders, which was a bad move… considering how they're already burdened with the carriage of your sloshy head."

Akari's eye twitched. "Doctor Jin is so kind to think of me," she said forcedly. "But I would never go back on the promise I made to him… because he's helped me a lot!" Though she said this, she truthfully meant the exact opposite. She meant that he was an abusive, condescending dillweed, and that she would instantly betray him if nature ever allowed so. Also, she only ever spoke in the third-person when she was very VERY angry.

It was a mystery as to whether Jin caught on or not. Walking away to the window, he solemnly stared out it– as he was plagued with deeper thoughts (and apparently just liked staring out windows). "I shouldn't be so hard on you," he said. "Not with what you live with… Your weakened state, your freakish body, the secrets it creates, and the crushing loneliness of it all… It is truly a horrible curse."

He spoke as if he actually knew what that all felt like.

But how could he? Akari clenched her fists and fought to relax her lungs– because if she didn't– she was certain that they'd explode and turn her nostrils into erupting flamethrowers. "It. Is. Not. A curse," she metered out shakily. "It is how… I was born. It was not… a mistake!"

After filling with enough air and resentment, Akari finally lost it. "My parents loved each other very much!" she shouted, raising her fists and fighting the urge to pummel Jin. "VERY MUCH. I was wanted. I'm thankful I can say this– because many others can't say the same thing… because they're not as fortunate as I am! That's right… Mama said, I was born from love!" Akari stamped her boot so hard– the floor board imprinted. "And being a kappa isn't bad! It's NOT a curse. I won't be disgusted with myself any longer… Living is a miracle, because everyday it allows me to get stronger!"

Jin came closer to Akari, close enough that her fists were almost at his chest. It was as if he were pushing her to hit him. "You are so foolish, and childish, but still, I understand where you're coming from," he said. "However… I don't believe that living, and being at the mercy of nature, is always the miracle that everyone makes it out to be. Sometimes, it is part of the curse of having a deformed body."

Akari shrank back, the centers of her eyes dissolving with rage. "So you think that sometimes, people, or creatures like me, should just be put out of their misery?" Her voice quieted, hitting the calm but unstable middle ground between emotional extremes. "You really think that my quality of life is so low? You really think I'm deformed?"

After being called 'spawn of pond scum' by people for so long, Akari's outrage built at any similar insult. She felt she was an ordinary person, not a freak of nature.

"You are deformed, or abnormal," Jin answered; "Still, I don't think any lesser of you. In fact, I think it's quite the opposite."

"Wha… what's that supposed to mean?" Akari withdrew her fists and stepped back.

_Overnight, you've changed the way I look at everything,_ Jin thought, resisting the urge to hold her; instead, he pushed up his glasses to hide his forlorn eyes. _And I think I understand it now. I'm not human anymore. Everything about me became disintegrated into a raw state... This affection must be hurting you. After one hundred years of disuse, my heart became jagged metal and now– I can't use it without causing pain._

"Never mind, it's useless," Jin said, overwhelmed by awkwardness. "In truth, I hate seeing you lonely. It's a waste, and I want to stop all that." _For you. _More than anything now, he wanted her to come to him, but his words were jumbling up.

"I don't understand ANYTHING you're saying," Akari yelled; "It's like you think I'm so weak and lowly! But I don't need that kind of sympathy. If you can't stand seeing me be so pathetic, then I'll live my own life without EVER burdening you again!"

_No... _He had failed to reach her– he had sent her his feelings, but she was out of range.

"And I swear," Akari said, "I will keep getting stronger! Do you know what a kappa is? A demon! Something from legend!"

Jin paused. "What?" he ejected.

"And now, I'll become a hermit river goddess just to show you–" Akari went on; "And then when I'm powerful enough to swallow up this whole town with a torrent of water– but of course I won't, because I really like this place– I'll ask you again, just who's at the mercy of nature!" And at that, she ran out of breath from her long spiel of gobbledygook and stomped out the door.

It was a relief once Akari was gone, for Jin could laugh as freely as he wanted to. He laughed and grinned with pure confusion and amusement, which was a rare sight (as rare as a king fish), and almost hit the ceiling in delirium. "Hermit river goddess," he repeated to himself, breaking back into glorious laughter. "What kind of random, boyish and ridiculous claim is that?" Any other girl would strive to become a smiling and angelic martyr chained to a pedestal, not a fierce and wild demon on a megalomanic ascension to godhood.

He realized how much he loved this girl.

With his thoughts abruptly turned to Toby and Gill, Jin's eyes dimmed. Though he always had all the time in the world, he suddenly felt like he was running out of it.


	24. A Festival of Flowers

At the river on her mother's farm, Akari spent seemingly endless days dreaming, pretending, and living… So much, that the river now lived inside of her– a rich memory which manifested itself as a secret dream world.

Truly, every detail of that river was forever etched in Akari's mind and heart. The coolness of the soggy grass around the water's edge and the warmth of the itchy grass beyond. The creaking of the wooden waterwheel– endlessly churning alongside the droning chicken coop… and the whispering through the lone tree standing in the middle. How strangely it chattered over her mother's distant voice.

Akari was supposed to play in the fish pond instead. Her mother insisted that it was safer than the dangerous river. But Akari loved to climb to this secret spot behind the fence. It was her own special place.

At least, it was supposed to be.

A woman's scream pierced the peaceful sky, followed by the sound of feet stomping down the river's southend bridge. All at once, human voices shrilled in terror.

_"Eeek! What IS that awful THING in the water?"_

_"A monster… A water imp. What a horrendous creature!"_

_"A demon? Disgusting! Somebody! Somebody, kill it–" _

Akari ducked her head under the bubbling clear water and swam. She swung her arms, splitting through the water at inhuman speeds, but dream logic prevailed and the Mineral Town villagers– brandishing scythes and axes– stayed close behind her.

But then the sky darkened, and in a moment mirroring an actual memory, the burly carpenter– the man who lived in the forest south of the farm– reared back his axe and threw down the blade, cleanly cleaving Akari's right arm off. It flopped to the forest floor, and with as much sense, she appeared beside it, doubled over and crying for help.

"Uwa, uwa…" Akari jumped awake, whimpering miserably, cradling her sides, and hunching down to the floor. In the wake of her realistic nightmare, the sound of the Caramel River outside only made things worse.

It seemed that the river back home wasn't the only memory forever etched in Akari's mind and heart. She could never forget the collective fear, disgust, and hatred from her old villagers… and what the possessed carpenter had done to her arm.

With an uncertain hand, Akari slid her hand up her sleeve and grasped her right shoulder. It was still there– her arm, and the shiny pink band of flesh encircling it– a massive scar which was about as grotesque as her hidden kappa skin. _I have to be careful with my arms,_ she thought gravely. _Papa's not here to re-attach them…_

Leaving her house after her frightening dream was a difficult affair, but Akari managed to prompt herself out the door by forcibly shouting "LET'S GO." Surprisingly, this also gave her enough courage to attempt some farm work. Attempt.

Due to having passed out yesterday, she barely had enough strength to water her crops. To remedy this, she traveled up the falls and to the hot spring for a soak. Bathing in broad daylight was unnerving, but she had left her shoes by the archway (as the monkey had previously instructed) and so trusted his words. Minutes flew by as she stewed in the soothing hot water, and just as soon as she lost herself in it, she lost herself in thought.

_I said some big things to Jin yesterday_, Akari realized, knowing fully well that she had basically sworn to never see him again until she was an elemental goddess. _But I'm not sure how to ACTUALLY go about that whole thing… _Nor did she know if it was even possible. _And I still have to see him everyday as per the kappa promise. _Her head slunk low. _Maybe he'll think I meant it all metaphorically. I really do want to get stronger, though…_

"Then get stronger!" a familiar voice sang out, the mountain monkey appearing before her in a majestic, spraying fountain of water. "To do so, ask me, Monkey, to show you the immortal's way and to be your teacher." He tipped an imaginary hat at this and the fountain of water jetted and subsided.

Akari, disturbed by the monkey's random and disturbing appearance (but not too surprised), sank down into the water. "My teacher?" she asked. "You'll really show me how to become a river goddess?"

"That I will! Just follow my lessons. Listen to my intelligent words and apply them to your daily life. Never mind that I was once a simple mountain monkey who had drowned in this very spring. As I had drowned in the waters of death, I also drowned of the wisdoms of life!"

"I can't imagine you ever having been a simple mountain monkey, but ok… Teach me, Monkey!" _I have to show that doctor up_, Akari added mentally.

Swinging his long arms at this, the monkey became enraged. "First of all, don't be so eager to turn your life into a horse race!" he said; "You'll attract disasters with such a rash attitude, you understand?"

Akari nodded silently.

"Good. Second of all, you will call me Master Monkey or Glorious Monkey King. You choose."

"Uh… I think the first one."

"Then do so!"

"Yes, Master Monkey!" _How ingratiating!_

"I hear your thoughts, child! This is for self-discipline, which is important in setting yourself free. Now then, listen well to what I have to say. You will surpass your mortal fears, avoid temptation, and journey to the 30th floor of the Ganache Mine."

"Right! Wait… huh?" Akari blurted, thinking that the last part sounded quite tacked on.

"Listen! Once you make it there, you will find a magical berry; a fruit bestowed with the good will and energies of the harvest deities. You will search for these fruits from now on."

"A power berry…" Akari recalled the name. Her mother would often speak of the subject. With just a handful of such a fruit, one could become a legendary farmer. With an endless supply of them, one could even live forever– regardless of health. This was one reason why her mother decided to live in the kappa's realm upon falling deathly ill– it was a place where such rare plants grew wildly.

Monkey grinned cheekily upon reading Akari's mind. "You know what I speak of," he squeaked. "What an advanced student!"

Akari stood up from the water, her towel nearly flopping off in the process. "I'll go there! Right now even," she swore; "I'll get stronger right this very moment!" She wanted to get as strong as her mother once was.

"Tsk tsk, don't be so hasty," the monkey clicked his tongue at her. "Today is your first festival. You shouldn't miss it for the world! And like I said, rush things and you'll invite disaster. You should probably put some clothes on, too."

"T-today's a festival day?" Akari smacked her gushy head around, trying to recall what day it even was. "That's right… Tuesday. The Flower Festival," she said; "Today's the Flower Festival!"

"Well you'd better hurry before it ends!"

* * *

><p>Colorful pennant flags waved overhead and sharp floral perfumes lured Akari by the nose as she stomped up the stairs to Waffle Square. Reaching the top, she was startled by the frenetic clapping and bouncing of Mayor Hamilton, who was standing before the main flower display and making a cheerful opening speech (welcoming all within shouting distance). So amazed by his energy were the festival-goers that they all gathered around him and clapped.<p>

_I can see why he's in a good mood_, Akari thought, inhaling the sweet air. _The colors and scents are delicious, the square looks magical, and cute flower petals are all over the ground!_ Chasing the pink petals beneath her feet, she considered bending down and snatching one up, but she fortunately dispelled that dumb thought (and not the water in her head bowl). Running circles around the square, not sure what booth to peruse first, Akari heard the strumming of guitars and spun around in their direction.

For some reason, a young woman in belly-dancing regalia– a complete stranger whom Akari had never seen before– was busting some moves in the spot where Mayor Hamilton once was. For a moment, Akari considered that the mayor had evolved. That he had assumed a new, more curvaceous form (possibly upon some exposure to a glowing moonstone ore). But then Akari knew that was all very stupid.

The woman stopped dancing and glared back. "Hey, you over there," she said, running a hand through her copper hair. Her voice was harsh but with an amusing and almost endearing accent.

Akari realized too late that she had been rudely staring at the woman. A massive red exclamation mark sprung from Akari's head as she fruitlessly looked around for someone else to pin the blame on. But her escape maneuver failed in the suddenly and unexplainably empty square.

"Yes. You." The woman directly spoke to Akari; "Buy me a lily!"

_She wants a flower?_ Akari thought, astonished by the woman's forwardness but also puzzled that she didn't outright want money. _Could that be what she was dancing for?… Well, if she wants one… Sure! Why not?_ To her, it was an excellent and sound way to make a friend.

Buying the lily from Anissa's perfume and goods booth– or actually receiving it– since Anissa mysteriously handed it to her without a proper transaction, Akari nervously approached the stranger and placed the crisp flower in her hands.

The strange woman loved it. "Hee, hee. Thank you!" she chortled sincerely. "I love this flower. You're so kind!" Tucking the flower in her hair, she proceeded to warmly introduce herself. "I'm Selena. I'm from Toucan Island."

"I… I'm Akari!" the girl squeaked. "I'm from the mainland… Ah, a place called Mineral Town."

For a reason unknown to Akari, Selena frowned and winced, slumping her shoulders in a downtrodden way. Akari would've cried if she'd know that the woman had ALSO mistaken her for a boy.

_This boy is actually a GIRL?_ Selena thought, her self-confidence blowing away with the square's flower petals. _I can't believe this. I thought he… she… was a little too cute… but I dismissed that since I like 'em young… Ay, I guess you make these kinds of errors when you've lived on a desert island for all your life._

"I'll be staying here for a while…" Selena mumbled and avoided eye contact. _Why did I have to ask for a LILY? _she scolded herself further;_ She'll definitely take that wrong… I'm not good with people. I need to get out of here._ After more awkward silence, she walked away, leaving Akari in further confusion.

"That was weird," Akari thought aloud, quickly disregarding what had just happened. Turning aside, she came face to face with Gill, who appeared to have seen the whole thing and with a bit of unease.


	25. Was the Kappa Dreaming of the Dragonfly?

_Why did Akari give a present to that women?_ Gill wondered– his mouth dropping open and his unease exponentially increasing;_ And why a lily, of all things? _Was it some kind of forbidden girl's-love code? Did this mean that Akari existed in a separate realm from his own? Was she now out of his reach?

Just like that, the kingdom in his diary was crumbling and not even the tangible images of the festival around him made sense anymore. Slumping over slightly, he began mumbling quietly to himself.

Akari watched Gill's pallid face with equally increasing unease (which was beginning to be way too much unease). _Wha… what is going on with Knickerbockers?_ she wondered, her teeth grinding as she witnessed his rapid descent into complete madness. _He looks so devastated… Like a pathetic kid who didn't get a single New Year's greeting card due to a lack of friends or any social contacts… _Stricken by this depressing thought, Akari herself went limp in devastation; she was once that pathetic kid.

_Wait, that's right… _Akari shuffled through her rucksack, pulling out the last known object she'd scavenged from off the ground. "I… I have a gift for you, too," she said, cautiously holding out a whole clam to Gill; "Please accept it as an apology for the trouble I caused yesterday. I found it on the beach today, so it's very fresh." _It was also going to be my meal for tomorrow, but this is… more important. _As Akari thought this, she held back tears of starvation and poverty, and her stomach inwardly wailed along with her soul.

Surprised, Gill snapped from his funk and gingerly took the clam in his hands. The feeling was indescribable. Well, the clam itself was cold and slimy (something that made him want to run home and wash his hands) but the feeling now inside his chest was warm, gentle, yet somehow pressing. "Wow," he said, tightly holding the clam in his hands (the same hands that also enjoyed knitting sweater vests by firelight), "this is actually a great gift! Thank you very much." Instantly, he felt so much better. He even literally glowed with happiness!

"Oh. I'm glad you like it." Akari slightly bowed, the muscles in her arms and face relieving of tension.

_Akari. What a silly girl you are_, Gill thought pompously, tucking the clam away in his pocket;_ You should know better than to randomly gift crap to people– they just might start getting strange ideas about you!_

_You. You really lack foresight and you're way too weird to understand. But yet I… I think I…_

"I…" Gill froze up. What was he about to say to her?

"Are you feeling OK?" Akari asked, closely staring into Gill's face. Though her brown eyes were wide and deep like a mirror, they reflected nothing but sunlight. Why didn't they show him anything? For a moment, he desperately wished she would giggle, smile, twirl her hair, touch him, or give any other typical girlish reaction– anything that he could pass off as interest. But Akari was more like an ancient fish than a girl. For all he knew, the answers to the universe lurked behind those deep, unadulterated eyes– and maybe even esoteric magical knowledge– like the Akashic records. Interestingly, this was his least exciting delusion he'd had all day.

_Could it be… that Akari's actually concerned about me? _Gill wondered, deeply flustered by this abrupt thought. Flinching away, he tightly crossed his arms over his chest– Akari's hungry eyes boring into the back of his shoulders for an answer (and possibly a decent meal).

"I must get back to what I was doing," Gill said forcibly, his eyes quivering in their sockets. "Since there's a festival today, we have a social game."

"A game?" Akari said, finally showing a discernible expression; an open-mouthed smile of awe. It was an expression more suitable for a four-year-old, not a young woman of marriageable age.

"It's the Bug Catch game!" Gill went on to explain irately, bothered by her for some reason. "How about a go?" Anything to distract him and her– anything would do. "Do you want to play Bug Catch?"

Akari stood and stared absentmindedly. It was impossible to know if she was arriving at a viable conclusion or not, but at last she said "Yes!" and stomped her right leg with a fist pump (for emphasis). Was she trying to imitate Luke? And did she really think she stood a chance against Gill, The Prince of Bug Catch?

Gill scoffed at her eagerness. "Hm, OK. Can you beat me?" This would be entertaining.

"I'll try." Akari nodded enthusiastically, clenching her fists as Gill lead her over near Darren's Tree. Reaching into a nearby planter, Gill pulled out an extra-long bug net and deftly spun it in his hand. Akari's enthusiasm faded away when she saw it.

"Here is your net." Gill stuffed its pole into her unresponsive right hand. "And your cage." He ceremoniously hung a purse-like, neon-green bug cage across her shoulders– as if it were an honor to be wearing one. "We'll start when we can get two more players. Ah. Here are some now."

Walking in on the scene, Craig and Kathy glared at each other before badgering Gill for their own nets and bug cages.

No longer enthusiastic, Akari remained immersed in gloomy disbelief. Holding the extra-long pole in her hand, she checked out the EXTREMELY tiny hoop net on its end. Yes, unbelievably, the entire size of it was no bigger than her cupped hand. Using this thing was impossible. It was the equivalent of catching bugs with a thimble attached to a javelin.

"This net," Akari said truthfully, "is very dumb." She held it tightly in her hands, as if she were contemplating snapping it in two upon her leg.

Gill– having designed these dumb nets himself– jolted at her horribly insensitive statement and nearly let out an outraged gasp. "The bad carpenter," he mouthed off, holding his breath, "blames his tools."

"Yeah, well I never blame my axe," a familiar, disembodied voice commented from SOMEWHERE. Akari searched for its source but found nothing.

"Hey, it's all part of the challenge," Craig retorted, nodding once at Akari. "This is a competition to see who can catch the most bugs… with these incredibly dumb nets."

Snorting at Gill's ensuing expression, Kathy forced herself to face Craig and don a super serious glare. "Don't forget, Old Man! I'm winning this year," she said confidently.

"Give it up, Girly. This year I'm aiming for first place, so don't think I'll settle on simply beating your rank."

"I climbed over a huge boulder to get here and bring you down, so don't take our rivalry so lightly, Geezer~"

"OK, Scamp. It's on."

Battle auras erupted from the heads of Kathy and Craig. So intense was their energy, that Akari buckled under its pressure and forgot all about the familiar but disembodied voice she had heard earlier.

"Hey new girl," Kathy said, winking at Akari; "Anticipate their movement patterns. That's the key!"

"Huh?" Akari emitted. "You mean the bugs?"

Before anything else could be said, Gill shouted, "Ready? Go!" and raised a starter pistol in the air– shooting it off with a bang and startling Akari half to death. Clutching her net and shivering in fear– partly due to an innate kappa-born aversion to loud noises– it took her an encouraging shout of "Come on, weakling!" from Craig before she could even move again. Waving her unwieldily net around, Akari struggled and failed to net a dragonfly.

"Aha, gotcha," Craig growled, grabbing up the dragonfly instead.

Kathy, holding her bug net close and moving as proficiently as a feudal warrior, spun around and netted three bugs in three swift, sword-like movements.

_Whoa!_ Akari thought, her mouth falling open in disbelief. _That was so fast– it almost looked like one complete movement! _And not only was Kathy being impressive, but Gill was whipping out some serious technique as well. Akari never knew that these three could be so agile and focused about something as frivolous as bug catching.

Consistently during the contest, Gill, Craig, and Kathy would be tied– but then Kathy would leap ahead in points with her warrior-like movements. As Craig lingered behind her in points– swinging around wildly while trying to keep his cap on, Gill stepped up his pace and swiped up a giant moth– a monstrous creature which went into his ridiculously tiny net against all reason.

While the others were busy fighting over another swarm, Akari gazed at the cloudless sky and noticed a lazily hovering dragonfly overhead. Reaching up gently, she netted it, and coaxed it inside her bug cage. Intimidated by its thick, stick-like body, she gulped as she watched the dragonfly grab onto the cage bars and rattle its vibrant wings before resting. _I wonder if Gill would let me take you home with me,_ she wondered, curiously touching the cage. She was interrupted when Craig let out an exasperated shout and Kathy cackled with delight.

"Just try to catch up now!" Kathy yelled victoriously, running after Gill but throwing her comment at Craig.

"Crap," Craig grumbled, running through the trees and twirling his net– effectively grabbing a few small moths. Akari ran after him– but slowed down when her bug cage began slapping against her waist. Panting, she checked to see if her dragonfly was ok, and once she ensured that it was, she steadied her net and managed to snag another dragonfly in-between a mysterious swirl of moths. As peculiar as it was– it was as if they were all flying in on the far-reaching ocean breeze.

Carefully introducing the second dragonfly into the bug cage, Akari watched them hover around each other. _There, now they have each other,_ she thought contentedly, closing the cage door. _They're so lucky… that they're so alike._

At this point in the contest, Gill had impressively managed to overcome Kathy's momentary lead in points. His cage was even visibly shaking with the giant insects he had already captured.

After another half minute, a loud digital beep rang out and Craig groaned, leaning over and wheezing.

"Time up!" Gill said, pulling out a pocket watch and clicking it. After leading Kathy, Craig, and Akari back into the square, Gill investigated their bug cages and scribbled on a score pad before addressing everyone. "Winner is player 2," he said gravely, holding up the score pad for all to see. It was a roundabout way of claiming himself the winner.

"Second place, in your face!" Kathy sang happily, rejoicing with a victory dance.

Craig (who had gotten third) huffed shortly– as if he couldn't be bothered to give a damn– and looked the other way. "Yeah, well. Second place is the first loser," he said matter-of-factly, repressing a smirk when Kathy stomped and raged at his retort.

Ignoring the two rivals' tiff, Gill glanced Akari's way and frowned when he saw that she was looking down at her bug-cage– her shoulders drooped and her face completely turned toward the ground. No doubt she was feeling all mopey about losing– but there was a way to deal with that.

"Well, that's too bad," Gill told her flippantly, trying to rile her up instead. "Better luck next time."

When Akari lifted her face, however– instead of flashing anger– there were tears gushing from her eyes. "It ate…" she managed out slowly; "It ate its friend."

Gill blinked rapidly. "Excuse me?"

Akari held the cage up with her shaking hands and silently stared into it– her eyebrows pinched together and her eyes glazed over. "The dragonfly. It ate the other dragonfly." She bit her lips and sucked them in completely, an expression which was indescribably funny by itself. "I didn't know– they did that." More tears plopped down from her eyes, but she didn't appear to notice they were there. She was absolutely traumatized. It was as if her dog had been ran over by a fruit cart or something.

It was so stupid.

But somehow, _so_ _cute_.

Gill couldn't help it– right then and there– he royally laughed in her face. "UWA ha, ha ha HA–" Holding his stomach, he rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ease an emerging headache. He hadn't eaten lunch yet, so this unexpected fit was crushing his brain. After another unbridled and self-entitled howl, he doubled over and quivered in further pain and hysterics.

Akari– continuing to bite her lips (but now in frustration)– averted her eyes and tore off the bug cage. Swiftly, she chucked it at Gill's convulsing face. "You'd also eat a friend! WOULDN'T YOU?" she yelled senselessly, full of fury and indignation. Sniffling, she ran off, soaking her sleeves through with her wet face, and forcing herself to appear as fierce as possible. Escaping to the other side of the square, she vanished behind the numerous flower displays and booth canopies.

Gill himself was crying now; crying with sheer mania. He hadn't laughed this hard since that time his father got too close to a bonfire and set his butt alight. That was three years ago.

Managing to calm himself down, Gill bent down and picked up Akari's bug cage. Opening it, he released the cannibal dragonfly and shook the cage, half-expecting the remains of its cellmate to fall out. But there was nothing. The first dragonfly had devoured every bite.

* * *

><p><strong>Man, you people sure are eager to "cut to the Chase!" He doesn't show up until after Darren's rainbow, guys. (At least in Tree of Tranquility. Dunno know about Animal Parade.)<strong>

**But no fears, some Chase backstory will be mentioned next time in an important scene...**


	26. Becoming an Adult

_Idiot! Why did you go and cry in front of the mayor's son? _Akari wondered, running off to the far side of Waffle Square. _All animals eat their weak. All of them. Fish. Dogs. Humans. Why was I so surprised?_

_"If only I'd been born fully human." _

_I always told myself this excuse. "If only my head wasn't so sloshy– if only I was like the other villagers– they wouldn't look down on me. It's all because of my kappa side. It's all because of that…" But it doesn't matter. The weak get eaten. Ah, what am I even getting at?_

_I give into weakness too much. Why did I cry?_

_"Akari!" _her mother's stern words resounded; "_Tears are a woman's last-ditch weapon. Don't go using them whenever you're scared."_

Once again, the memory of the larger dragonfly– with its thick body and spindly legs clamped down around the smaller one– sprung up in Akari's mind. The munching noise was so discreet, yet deafening, and in moments, the tail end of the smaller dragonfly disappeared completely. This sort of thing was more common than she liked to think. There were a lot of things she didn't like to think about. It was childish.

"I am just like that small dragonfly," Akari said to herself, facing the blindingly bright sea which shone beyond the square's cliff. Wrenching her eyes shut, she remained in her troubled, jumbled thoughts, even when she heard shuffling in the grass behind her.

"Hey! Don't look so glum," Kathy said, her warm hand landing on Akari's shoulder. "Everyone loses their first go at Bug Catch, so don't fret. You know, you're pretty cool for even competing! Most girls can't stand the sight of bugs."

"Oh," Akari replied, not knowing what to say to this. "Thanks…" _Though, _she added mentally;_ I can definitely understand where those girls are coming from… _Bugs were not to be trusted. Neither were boys.

"Wah, AH–" a girl cried out, accompanied by a loud, clacking racket. "Oh NO–"

Spinning around, Akari recognized a familiar girl in a pink cupcake-shaped dress crawling around on the square's now-wet pavers. A bucket rolled beside her.

"Maya?" Akari muttered.

"Oh… how could you do this?" Maya scolded herself depressingly, the hem of her pink dress soaking through with muddy water. "Dad will be so disappointed! 'Maya, you ruined the table flowers! Can't you do anything right?' Hnn…"

Kathy snorted to herself. "What a klutz," she said, staying where she was as Akari ran past.

"Maya, are you alright?" Akari asked, hurrying over and setting the toppled bucket straight; kneeling down– careful not to spill her OWN water– Akari began plucking up as many scattered flowers as manageable.

"Hah? Akari! Hi, I'm fine, fine," Maya said, looking up and lightly hitting herself on the head– as if punishing herself; "It's just the flowers… They had a bit of an 'oops-a-daisy'!"

"Hehehe," Akari chuckled, delighted by this childish joke.

Kathy's eyes went rolling in their sockets.

"Oh, you're laughing! Everyone says 'Akari is so intense!' All the time! I feel like I really accomplished something! Maybe." Sticking her tongue out, she went back to gathering up her mess. "Uh, thanks for helping. I've got the rest, though! You should be enjoying the festival, not crawling around like me."

Akari picked up a few more flowers anyway. "Maya, wasn't there water in your bucket?"

"Yeah… I spilled it!"

Standing up, Akari drew her watering can from her rucksack and silently refilled the bucket. With the tulips, roses, and yellow moondrop flowers rinsed of grime, they all popped and floated to the top– as if replenished with life itself.

Hurrying up, Maya took the bucket and rocketed to her feet. "Woo-hoo! Thanks a bunch!" she said, nearly sloshing water out again. "Whoops! Ok, I'm going on home with this. Stop by to see me sometime, ok? I'll cook you up something to eat! Er… or I'll sneak you some of my grandma's cooking… See you soon!"

"Later!" Akari waved back.

As Maya bolted across the square and down the stairs– Kathy drifted on over to Akari and laughed.

"Careful. I wouldn't eat anything Maya cooks," Kathy explained; "Her cooking is super nasty!"

"Wha?" Akari blurted, startled by Kathy's bluntness; "Nasty?"

"Yeah, you'll die for sure if you eat it! I guess she failed to inherit Yolanda's miracle~cooking gene… though there IS a big rumor that Maya isn't even Yolanda's real granddaughter. You see… Maya and her mother were brought to the island by Jake. Back then, he had only been gone for a year before returning with them."

"So you're saying… just because Maya is a bad cook, she's not related to Yolanda OR her dad?"

"Well, yeah!" Kathy nodded importantly. "Geez… That girl's a total bimbo. There's no way she's Jake's. Make sure you don't absorb her lameness, OK? She's literally the island's laughingstock…"

Akari's mouth fell wide open in disbelief. "H-hold on," she said; "Why does any of that matter? Maya is a lovely girl!" _She even fed me! _Akari thought.

"Lovely girl? Pfft!" Kathy crossed her arms and laughed with a clear and strong voice. "She is always cramming food down her throat! It's so disgusting! You know what she looked like when we were younger? A monster egg! She was so fat– she rolled instead of walking! And her lips evolved… to a size where they could devour whole family platters!" Kathy continued to laugh with abandon– as if she had simultaneously told and heard the greatest joke EVER.

"That's cruel," Akari muttered, her fists clenched so tightly– her gloves cut off their circulation. "How can you laugh? If what you said is true, then, Maya worked very hard. She's a lovely girl now… How can you be so disrespectful?"

Scoffing uncomfortably, Kathy crossed her arms tighter. "It…" She paused. "Of course everything I said is true!" she replied tensely. "What are you being so uptight about? I'm just telling you what I know about her. Everyone jokes like this… Don't take it so personally."

"I will take it personally!" Akari shook her arms to contain herself. "Maya is my important friend!"

Kathy gulped and looked the other way. "Whatever," she retorted, her sharp green eyes flickering with self-consciousness. "I thought you were cool, Akari. I guess I was wrong? …I won't bug you anymore." With a flick of her blonde ponytail– a final act of cool indifference– she stalked off, the heels of her cowboy boots clicking as she went.

Overcome by a deafening noise– the munching noise of ravenous dragonflies– Akari held her ears and retreated. _Everyone jokes like that?_ she thought, knowing this was true. _Of course. All people are like that… everywhere._ The noise continued– like an earworm, and finally revealed itself to be an overactive part of her imagination. Running back into the grass, hoping to be overwhelmed by the distantly roaring ocean, Akari threw herself at the base of Darren's tree– sharp grass and cold dirt stinging at her legs.

Why was she so surprised?

"Hm. Poor Maya," a familiar, disembodied voice said from above.

"Hoo!" an owl– sounding quite agitated– hooted in response. It was as if this single anonymous comment had ruined its entire day's rest.

_If i didn't know any better, I'd think that voice was coming from the sky,_ Akari thought, looking up. _No… wait…. It IS coming from the sky! _Or up from the tree, at least, for Luke, the axe-crazy carpenter, was sitting in it with a big, sleepy-eyed owl.

Jumping to her feet, Akari backed a considerable distance away from the tree. _Luke doesn't have his axe out, does he?_ she wondered urgently; _Well… he seems a good enough distance away… So it's safe, right?_

Akari clearly forgot that Luke could total a tree with just one chop.

Luke– taking her worried attention as friendly concern– continued on. "It's always been like that for Maya," he began, his left leg splayed out and his arms wrapped around his right knee. "So please do some good and treat Maya right." How he managed to balance in that pose was distractingly impressive.

"What do you mean?" Akari asked, watching him cautiously. Any moment, she expected the light to fade from his eyes and an axe to sprout from his hand. But his mention about Maya won her curiosity.

"Most of them are gone or have moved on," Luke said; "But Kathy remains steadfast– as one of the girls who used to bully Maya. If only she would change…"

_Girls? Bullies? Gone? _Akari wondered, suddenly remembering the contents of her very first argument with Gill. "_Really? I never thought that thing would fool anybody,"_ Gill had said to her, belittling her for venturing to the island with just his father's brochure. "_This island is nothing like that brochure. It's practically a ghost town…" _

But why? Was it once filled with lots of people?

"What Kathy said is true," Luke said. "Though Maya was always a nice and cheerful girl, she was extremely fat when we were kids. Because of that, people took advantage of her, especially that guy…"

Luke closed his eyes and nodded his head to and fro– as if he were a woodpecker facing the wrong direction. "Yeah, that guy happened to be living at the Sundae Inn with Maya back then," Luke went on; "And believe me when I say this: he was a real big shot! That guy was some kinda boy genius, and all the girls on the island were totally in love with him… He was ice cold. He'd take his frustrations out on Maya daily, calling her a 'stupid pig' and guilting her into being his stooge. Since he was buttering up her legendary grandma for more chef training, he'd constantly cook for Maya to enforce their friendship. In truth, though, he was relying on Maya's epic gourmet skills… because really. That girl may suck at cooking, but her taste-ability exceeds normal human comprehension!"

Akari felt her fists clenching again. In this world, there seemed to be an endless amount of cruelty and injustice. _But Maya… she's got a really amazing special talent, doesn't she? Like a character from a cartoon show! _Akari thought, suddenly inspired by this idea. _That boy was probably super jealous of her skills._

"Some cruel twist of fate, right?" Luke asked. "That guy definitely contributed to Maya's weight problem. And the other girls… they went raving mad with all the 'attention' he gave her! They'd always gang up on her, kick her around, and threaten her. Tch." Luke clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Girl's are freakin' insane."

"No, boys are just as bad!" Akari snapped. "Back home, they even used to–" Stopping, she clasped her hand over her mouth. In her moment of outrage, she had nearly blathered about the boys in her old village who beat her up for being a kappa. "I mean. Boys also have a great tendency for violence," she began unsteadily. "Back home, I was friends with a girl… who knew a girl… who was also my friend, who was often chased and beaten up by a group of boys– just for being ugly!"

"Whoa!" Luke blasted, nearly falling off his branch. "Those wicked cowards! Ganging on a girl! Did you ever save her and teach them all a lesson?" The owl beside him– which had given up on sleep already– was now staring at him with stern yellow eyes, a feathery puffed up chest, and an open beak. Perhaps it also wondered if Akari ever dealt sweet justice on those boys. Or perhaps it wished Luke would shut up and get the hell out of its tree.

"Mm-hm." Akari nodded proudly. "Papa taught me how to fight. I shoved them all down and they never bothered me again. Er, her." She made sure to leave out the part about her father's half-successful kappa sumo wrestling training– and about how she had left the bullies with lifelong spinal injuries.

"Whoa! That's AWESOME. I mean, you just shoved them? And then they flew backwards through a line of trees and the earth cracked open, right? Well, even if none of that other stuff happened, I bet you looked cool. You're a pretty strong guy."

"Thanks, but– I have a long way to grow." Akari looked down and squeezed her right arm. "I have to get much stronger before I can do anything. Before I can fight for the things that are important to me." _Those things– like my farm, my life, my friends, and one day… _One day, she wished she could go back to Mineral Town and live under the lake with her family– even if the requisite for such that was too high. To find love… For now, it seemed impossible and scary.

Standing up on his branch all the sudden, Luke raised his fists high and got all emotional. "Well don't give up, Akari!" he exclaimed. "I know that strength is in you– I saw it! The burning power of love, courage and friendship, wielded in your intense hammer swing! I want to see more of it… your true power. When we battle again, bring it all out and show me. Crush me with your extreme soul! You'll definitely get stronger."

"Luke," Akari gasped, ruffled by his deranged request, but knowing she couldn't avoid his killing axe forever. From now on, she would definitely have to duel every adversity which came her way. She nodded anxiously. "I'll definitely defeat you," she said. "I'll fight you and every other challenge that arises– with everything I've got. I won't give up." She turned away. "It's what living is all about… I'll become an adult."

"Uwa ha ha!" Luke laughed, crossing his arm cooly– the ties of his flame bandana blowing in the wind as he watched Akari walk away. "It was probably fate," he said to himself at last. "For us to meet like this." Standing knowingly, he looked beyond at the flashing sea's brilliant horizon and grinned forcedly.

In truth, he was terrified of losing his mind and slaughtering Akari.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

**Guts! Miracles! SWEAT, TEARS, blood, and friendship!**

**Various online Chase Fan Clubs were meticulously studied to ensure that Kathy's Maya hate was realistic. Because I honestly can't hate that silly waitress without really trying**


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